2Cor. 3:1 ¶ Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
Scripture indicates that letters of introduction and recommendation were normal for those who traveled in ministry or moved from one place to another. Paul is asking questions to make the Corinthians think. Based on their experience with him, did he still need a letter of recommendation regarding his authority as an apostle to be able to minister among them or a letter of recommendation from them to qualify for ministry elsewhere? The expected answer is—“No.” Why? That is answered in the next verses.
2Cor. 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Cor. 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
The Corinthian believers themselves are living letters of recommendation of the truth and power of God’s truth, the good news about salvation, as proclaimed by Paul. Paul’s ministry team had effectively taught the Corinthians, and they had responded to that teaching with tender hearts that were ready and willing to learn—not with hard hearts stubbornly closed to receiving the truth. They had willingly embraced salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Their lives declared more effectively than words ever could the truth of Paul’s teaching, as shown by the fruit produced by the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
This reminds me of an old saying, “Keep in mind that your life is the only bible some people will ever read.”
2Cor. 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
2Cor. 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Paul is basically saying that he was well aware that their effectiveness in ministry to the Corinthians was accomplished through the ministry of the Holy Spirit through him and his team—not because of abilities of their own. He knew that, as the LORD had taught His disciples, without Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit he could do nothing.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Stedman: “The old covenant is, ‘Here's a standard to achieve. Now do your very best to do it’ — self-effort, build up self-confidence. The new covenant is exactly the opposite. It says, ‘Just show up, present yourself. God will work through you, and what God demands, God himself will achieve, using you as the instrument of it. You will never get the credit for it; you can never say it was anything you did, or had, or was; it is God alone.’ That is why all through the Scriptures you find Christians denying that they were the explanation for what was accomplished, but that it was God himself at work.”
2Cor. 3:6 ¶ Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
“Who” – refers back to God
The Greek for able refers to being qualified or competent. So, Paul is saying that it is God who qualified them or made them competent teachers of the new covenant. How? Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Paul is clear in stating that he is a minister of the “new covenant,” not the old. Through the new covenant, the believer is empowered to obey God’s will as revealed in the old covenant. Under the old covenant, man was confronted with his sin through his inability to keep God’s commands. Paul had been a Pharisee, one of those who prided themselves on keeping the letter of the law. Once he met Jesus, Paul understood that under the letter of the law, man was doomed to spiritual death since to break one point of the law was to break it all.
James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
To break the law was to be declared a sinner, and the destiny of the sinner is death.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death….”
Under the new covenant Christ provides the believer with the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower him to live according to the intent or spirit of the old. Not only that, the sinner is imputed the righteousness of God in Jesus.
2Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
I like Kenneth Wuest’s translation: “…but our sufficiency has its source in God who also made us sufficient as those who minister a testament, new in quality, not of the letter [of the law] but of the Spirit, for the letter [of the law] kills, but the Spirit makes alive.”
Guzik: “Paul can say the letter kills because the law, exposing our guilt, ‘kills’ us before God. The law thoroughly and completely establishes our guilt.”
God’s law hasn’t changed; but under the new covenant we are given understanding of the heart of the law (as taught by Jesus in Matthew 5-7) and empowered to keep it. Jesus was very clear in stating that He was establishing a new covenant between God and man through His death.
Luke 22:19-20 “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Romans 8is a companion passage to this verse, and an excerpt from that journal applies here:
Rom. 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom. 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
One purpose of the law was to guide us into righteous living. It provided loving guidelines, but had no power to help us obey those guidelines. Obedience was subject to the flesh, the choice of the person as to whether to obey or not—and we discussed earlier our natural response to the forbidden (cf 7:8). In His great mercy God decided to make a way for us to be able to fulfill the righteousness of the law. He sent “His own Son” to earth as a man. The word likeness means “resemblance, similar.” He was born without the sin nature (just like Adam was first created) inherited through Adam; He was born the seed of the woman—not the man.
Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
It is the seed of the man that penetrates the egg of the woman to initiate life and determine the gender of the child. It is through the man that the sin nature is passed to every child. Mary’s egg was supernaturally completed by the Holy Spirit to bring about the birth of Jesus. He did not inherit the sin nature that was a consequence of Adam’s transgression.
“for” sin – through (all over); (to “pierce”); through (as adverb or preposition), i.e. across:—beyond, farther (other) side, over.
I was a bit surprised when I looked up this word. It seems to be saying that God’s Son, Jesus, was sent in the flesh to get man beyond the reach of sin, to “pierce” the sin nature. How? By condemning sin in the flesh through His victorious life of righteousness and obedience. He was tempted in every way that we are tempted; He can truly empathize with every struggle or sorrow or frustration or with which we are confronted in this life. Yet, He responded in victory—never yielding to sin.
Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Through His willing sacrifice on the cross and glorious resurrection, we (believers) can now experience victory over our own sin nature. Our choice is to walk (live our life) in obedience to the guidance and empowerment of the Spirit of God that indwells us. Our desire is to live so as to reflect the character of Jesus and the righteousness of the law.
[end excerpt]
2Cor. 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Cor. 3:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
In context with the previous verses, “the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones” is a reference to the tables of the law God gave to Moses; and this is further affirmed by the reference to the glory of God reflected in the face of Moses when he returned with the tables in hand. That reflection of God’s glory gradually faded with the passage of time.
Verse 8 seems to be drawing a comparison to the glory of God that can be more gloriously reflected in the life of the believer through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This glory need never fade except through the lack of submission and obedience of the individual. The Holy Spirit ministers life—not death.
2Cor. 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
This verse continues to make a comparison to the effect of the old and new testaments in the life of the believer. My translation—“If the delivery of the law to Moses resulted in such an obvious reflection of God’s glory because of the time spent in His presence, doesn’t it make sense that the continual presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer will produce a greater reflection of God’s glory?”
2Cor. 3:10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
2Cor. 3:11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
I like the wording of the ESV: “Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.”
Paul continues to drive home his point. The giving of the law upon which the Old Testament was based resulted in an observable reflection of the glory of God that eventually faded; it ministered death—not life. The introduction of the New Testament by and through Jesus Christ produces greater glory because it ministers life through the continual presence and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
2Cor. 3:12 ¶ Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
“Plainness of speech” is a reference to boldness and confidence. Paul is basically saying that because the New Testament is accessed through faith that includes the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, he (and those who minister with him) is able to preach boldly and confidently.
2Cor. 3:13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
2Cor. 3:14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
2Cor. 3:15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
This section of verses seems to be saying that Moses veiled his face to keep the people from seeing the glory of God disappear from his countenance. Paul is using this incident in their history to picture the inability of the people to comprehend that the old testament pointed toward the new testament that would be revealed in Christ. They understood the letter of the law without grasping the spirit of the law. And that is just as true of the people of Israel today as it was in Paul’s day. I can’t help but think of the verse in Romans 11.
Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
It’s just hard to understand how the Jewish people cannot recognize Jesus as the Messiah as foretold in the old testament scripture—especially in Isaiah 53. But the truth is that they have a vail over their heart that prevents them from seeing the truth.
“…and not as Moses…” – This makes a direct connection to the previous verse in reference to the boldness with which Paul spoke. Unlike Moses, who represented the old covenant and its fading glory, Paul possessed the never-fading glory of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit as part of the new covenant.
2Cor. 3:16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
“it” = whosoever
This is a hard verse to me. After making the point that the Jewish people have a vail over their hearts, Paul goes on to say that those who choose to “turn to the LORD” will have the vail removed. Maybe the answer lies in the emphasis on the individual rather than the nation. Though the nation as a whole seems to be covered by a vail that prevents them from seeing, the truth can penetrate that vail to those who are truly seeking God. Remember—Blindness is only “in part” in reference to the nation according to Romans 11. The scripture is clear in stating that those who seek God will find Him.
Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
2Cor. 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
“That Spirit” seems to refer directly back to verse 8, and I am reminded again of how Father, Son and Spirit are One. The reference to liberty is in direct contrast to the restriction of the law. Through the Holy Spirit, the believer is freed from condemnation resulting from their inability to keep the law and is empowered to live according to the grace of God through faith. In Christ, the believer is declared righteous and guiltless as to the law. Instead of living in a state of constant frustration and fear because of one’s inability to keep the law, the believer can live secure in the love of the Father and His assurance of forgiveness. It’s like having a huge burden taken off your shoulders. He/she can live as an overcomer when confronted by temptation through the provision of the indwelling Spirit. Through the Spirit one can appreciate the benefits of the law. It identifies sin and provides parameters that allow one to freely enjoy the blessings of God through obedience.
Wiersbe: “The result of old covenant ministry is bondage; but the result of new covenant ministry is liberty in the Spirit. Legalism keeps a person immature, and immature people must live by rules and regulations.”
Stedman: “Freedom is being out in the open, it is having boldness, nothing to hide. That is what Paul is talking about. The man who is free is one who does not have any reputation to defend, no image to hide behind, nothing to preserve about himself….The way to be yourself, to have freedom, is not to be afraid to look at all the evil that is possible in your heart and in your life, because you have another basis on which you can receive the acceptance and approval of God. It is a gift to you. It is faith continually accepting anew the gift of righteousness, of already being pleasing to God, and, on that basis, serving him out of a heart of gratitude for what you already have.”
2Cor. 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
“we” = true believers, children of God
I think Paul is saying that the glory of God is intended to shine through us without concealment of any type. As His children, we should be growing spiritually so that our image is being more and more conformed to the image of our Savior—our character blossoming with the fruit of the Spirit. That can only happen through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Our hope rests in the culmination of the glory that will be ours when we receive our glorified bodies at the resurrection.
Guzik: “As we behold the glory of God, we will be transformed. God will change our lives and change us from the inside out. Though the old covenant had its glory, it could never transform lives through the law. God uses the new covenant to make us transformed people, not just nice people….This work of transformation is a process. We are being transformed; the work isn’t complete yet….”
I can’t help but be reminded of the words of one of my favorite songs as sung by the Gaither Quartet.
Picture a man with no reason for living, with no hope of smiling again. Imagine a world with no golden daybreak, enclosed by the blackness of sin.
And the sea is bathed in beauty and glory, transformed by love's sweet embrace. The hands of the Savior erased all my sorrow and painted this picture of Grace.
The ashes and ruin that once filled the picture had vanished and faded from view. And beautiful touches of mercy adorned this picture He painted anew.
Such peace filled the eyes of the man He created; A smile gently rests on his face. Since Jesus erased all the guilt of my past and painted this picture of grace.
How skillful the hands of the artist Who painted this picture of me.
He saw with the eyes of a Master how beautiful my life could be.
Where once was a portrait of gloom and despair, This masterpiece hangs in it's place. It's signed with His blood and it's framed with His glory, this beautiful picture of Grace.
2Cor. 4:1 ¶ Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2Cor. 4:2 But 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.
I really like the NLT translation for these verses; they express the intent in simple language very clearly. “And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up. We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that.”
Oh, that all those who claim to be teachers of God’s word today embraced the same mindset.
Paul is boldly declaring that he does not teach from a personal agenda; He teaches the truth as set forth in the word of God with a pure heart. He is not afraid of public scrutiny. He knows that honest men will not be able to deny that he is teaching the truth as declared by God.
I can’t help but wonder at the thought processes of those who distort the truth of God’s word to their own purposes as well as those who allow themselves to be deceived by their teaching. In reference to false teachers, I think many just become puppets in the hands of the enemy through the lust of power, position and/or fame. I think there are others who so want to justify their own sinful lifestyles that they are motivated by the desire for acceptance without stigma. Others are motivated through a desire to destroy the body of Christ from within because they reject the idea of a sovereign God. Most people who fall for their false teachings are deceived because of lack of knowledge of the word of God, and/or they are easily duped through the charisma of the teacher and/or his skillful use of language and/or ability to manipulate people’s emotions.
2Cor. 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor. 4:4 In 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.
These verses give support to some of my thoughts from the previous section. I thought it was interesting to note that the Greek for the word hid made reference to a root meaning “to steal.” The “god of this world” is a reference to Satan.
Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Those who reject or don’t grasp the truth of God’s word are actually having their understanding stolen by the enemy. They have allowed themselves to be susceptible to his lies through his ability to utilize the weaknesses in the flesh that make them most vulnerable—the desire for wealth, the desire for healing from physical infirmity, the sense of elitism of belonging to a special group, the self esteem associated with acts of charity, the desire to be in control of one’s own destiny through the spirit of pride that does not want to be in submission to God, etc. Paul identifies this group as the “lost,” those who are headed for destruction.
Paul is again emphasizing that Christ is “the image of God,” God in flesh.
2Cor. 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
This scripture states two defining factors of one who teaches the truth according to God’s word.
His message is centered on exalting Christ Jesus as LORD; he is not interested in drawing attention to himself.
He presents himself as a servant to others as a servant of the LORD—not one to be served.
Stedman: “Lord is who he is; saving is what he does.”
2Cor. 4:6 For 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.
Paul is making reference to Genesis 1. It was long after my first journal on Genesis before I learned that something had happened to the initial creation that resulted in waste, confusion and ruin (from the Hebrew). (See journal on Genesis 1 for more detail.) I now believe this to be a reference to the resulting impact of the fall of Lucifer and one-third of the angels. I think Paul is saying that just as God caused the light to shine out of that darkness into a new creation, so too has He caused the light to shine into the darkness of the hearts of fallen men as He creates them anew through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that was made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That light reveals to us the glory of God as embodied by Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high….”
Guzik: “Satan’s work of blinding is great, but God’s work of bringing light is greater.”
2Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
I think Paul is saying that when we serve God in faith and obedience, it glorifies God because it testifies to His supernatural empowerment through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the evidence of our new life in Christ—the treasure contained in these earthen vessels we call a body. Scripture is clear that we can do nothing that accomplishes eternal good or produces spiritual fruit except through the LORD's empowerment.
John 15:4-5 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Anything we do that shines the light of God’s love into this fallen world gives testimony to His power working in and through us.
Guzik: “Who is worthy to be a ‘container’ for God’s light and glory? The smartest person isn’t smart enough, the purest person isn’t pure enough, the most spiritual person isn’t spiritual enough, and the most talented person isn’t talented enough. We are all just clay pots holding an unspeakably great treasure.”
2Cor. 4:8 ¶ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Cor. 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
We Christians are living in a fallen world, a world currently ruled by the “god of this world,” “the prince of the power of the air,” Satan.
2Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not….”
Ephesians 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience….”
The Lord Jesus specifically identified this power as Satan when He spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus.
Acts 26:16-18 “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Our lives in this world will bring trouble, perplexity, persecution and times when we might wonder if we can keep on going. In Christ, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to respond to these times of testing with confidence that the LORD only allows into our lives what we can bear and what He intends to use for good.
1Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
I truly don’t see how those who don’t know Jesus as Savior cope in such times of trouble, fear, injustice and heartache. Where do they find hope?
2Cor. 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
This verse was a hard one for me to get started on. I’m thinking that in context with the previous verses it is a reference to the life that Jesus led in the flesh and in which He was subject to these same hardships—trouble, perplexity, persecution and extreme suffering. I had a hard time applying my understanding of perplexity to the LORD Jesus, but it comes from a root word that references a journey. So I would liken that to the life journey that was specific to Jesus—the temptation in the wilderness, the attempts to kill Him, the betrayal of a friend, the rejection of His people, and the persecution and humiliation of the cross. As we serve the LORD in faith and obedience, we are going to experience these types of attacks on our faith and be given the opportunity to let His life in us be seen by others in how we respond.
2Cor. 4:11 For 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.
This verse seems to be an exclamation point to the previous one. Paul experienced great testing in his life in all of these areas. In his ministry he certainly died daily to self in order to be able to endure all that he suffered because of his ministry “for Jesus’ sake.” Every Christian who wants his/her life to show forth the power of God at work in his/her life has to be willing to do the same. Most of us will not be called upon to suffer to the same extent as so many of those in the early church did, but we need to be prepared for whatever the LORD might allow us to suffer in accomplishing His will. The more we learn to die to self and yield to the leading of the Spirit, the more likely that others will see the life of Christ shining through us.
2Cor. 4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
I think Paul is saying that the sufferings we endure as a Christian are meant to encourage and strengthen others in the faith. It is actually how he began this letter.
2Corinthians 1:3-6 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.”
Beautiful illustration from Courson: It was piano craftsman Theodore Steinway who said that it is the forty thousand pounds of pressure exerted on the two hundred forty-five strings of a piano that creates beautiful harmony. Sometimes, it is only the pressure, the persecution we undergo that causes a song to resonate in the heart of those with whom we share. Paul knew this. That is why he could say, ‘Good things are happening even in our tribulation and difficulty, for through our hard times, Jesus shines brighter.’”
2Cor. 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
2Cor. 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
“as it is written” – Where? Psalm 116:10 “I believed, therefore have I spoken….”
Paul is declaring that the Spirit that empowered the faith of the psalmist is the same Spirit empowering the faith of every believer in Christ Jesus. That faith is what inspired the psalmist and Paul and continues to inspire other believers to testify publicly about their faith. This faith is rooted in the confident expectation of resurrection to eternal life because its source is the same as “He” which raised up the LORD Jesus—God the Father.
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Galatians 1:1 “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)”
Ephesians 1:17, 19-20 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him…And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places….”
1Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Wiersbe: “Until people are prepared to die, they are not really prepared to live.”
2Cor. 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
This verse seems to echo the truth of verse 5—that Paul’s ministry is focused on serving the body of believers so as to encourage actions that produce fruit that honors and glorifies God in gratitude to the Savior, Jesus Christ.
“Abundant grace” is a reference to the increasing influence of the Spirit of God in the hearts of the believers as evidenced by the fruit produced. When God’s people are truly thankful and obedient, the result will always serve to glorify God.
2Cor. 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Paul is saying that although one day this body of flesh will die as a result of the sufferings we endure in this life, we have a daily renewable source of energy through the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to continue to share the gospel and the love of God with others. This verse reminds me of a verse in Lamentations.
Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
2Cor. 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Cor. 4:18 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.
With these verses Paul puts into perspective the troubles and suffering that the Christian will experience in this life compared to the glory that we will experience for eternity. That glory he describes as “far more exceeding.” In other words, our sufferings will pale in comparison to the reward that awaits us; in fact, I seem to remember a verse in Isaiah that implies we won’t even remember them.
Isaiah 65:17 “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
Stedman: “There is a direct tie between the affliction and the glory. The one is preparing for the other….Our present sufferings are preparing us for something so incomparable, so amazing, so marvelous that there are no words to describe it. That means that no trial, no pain, no isolation, no heartache, no loneliness, no weakness or failure, no sense of being put aside is without significance. All of it is playing its part in accomplishing God's work in your life and the lives of others.”
Verse 18 echoes the thoughts Paul expressed in his letter to the Colossians.
Colossians 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
For Paul to describe his afflictions as “light” gives testimony to the faith that gives voice to those words. In chapter 11 he details quite a listing of those sufferings.
2Corinthians 11:22-27 “Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
Guzik: “Even if one were to live for a hundred years and suffer every day, by the measure of eternity it is but for a moment….Often, the problem isn’t so much in what we think about our light affliction but in that we think so little of our coming weight of glory.”