We have in 2 Corinthians 4:1–2 (LEB) “this ministry … with the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person’s conscience before God” and this is different than the first covenant that was the law of Moses. While that covenant separated God’s people and gave them the blessing as they followed God, it was always with the consciousness of sin. We now have this new covenant in 2 Corinthians 4:7 (LEB) “But we have this treasure in earthenware jars, in order that the extraordinary degree of the power may be from God and not from us”. While in 2 Corinthians 4:4 “the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”, we have been given freedom from sin in Christ and in 2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (LEB) “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” and it is this image of God that the world is to see in us.
That We May Not be Exploited by Satan
2 Corinthians 2:5–11
A Door Was Opened for Me by the Lord
2 Corinthians 2:12–17
You Are Our Letter, Inscribed on Our Hearts
A Veil Lies Upon Their Heart
2 Corinthians 3:9–18
How is it that Paul calls the law of Moses that is the foundation of the Jewish religion, the “ministry of condemnation”? This law, this covenant, this ministry produced miraculous results in the lives of the people, the children of Abraham that God made into a nation. This covenant that covered the nation of Israel with the glory of God when they followed after him in
2 Corinthians 3:9 (LEB) “For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, by much more will the ministry of righteousness overflow with glory”
Paul says this because the law of Moses was based on the giving of a sacrificial offering to cover sin and restore the person to right standing, righteousness before God. But, this sacrifice was always after the fact, there was always the consciousness of sin in the mind and that consciousness comes with condemnation. It was in this covenant that the presence of the Lord resided with Israel above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies behind the veil in the temple.
We though now live under a new covenant, the covenant that Paul calls “the ministry of righteousness” and in this covenant, there is no condemnation because Jesus Christ has become the final sacrifice for the sin of the world. Jesus tore the veil and opened the way into the presence of the Lord in
2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (LEB) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
The Glory of God in the Face of Christ
2 Corinthians 4:1–6
Now that Paul has explained the freedom that we as believers in Jesus Christ have, that the veil has been removed and we are “being transformed” in
2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (LEB) “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit”
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:1 “Because of this”, because of the work that God has done in us and our understanding of His great love not only for us but also for the world, those people around us, we have this ministry in
2 Corinthians 4:1–2 (LEB) Because of this, since we have this ministry, just as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced shameful hidden things, not behaving with craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but with the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person’s conscience before God.
We, now, as a result of this work God has done and this ministry God has given:
- “We do not lose heart” because God is with us
- “We have renounced” things in the world that at one time were our way of life but no longer have any part or place in us
The deception in the world is that this veil still covers the eyes of unbelievers in
2 Corinthians 4:4 “the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
But we now carry “the image of God” and the word used here is “The Greek noun eikōn (which) means image, form, or statue … (where) Caesar is represented by his image on a coin, and pagan gods are represented by images of them … (and) Christ does not merely represent God; he is the full manifestation of God. Believers are being conformed to Christ’s image and thus manifest God’s presence as well1.
We Have This Treasure in Earthenware Jars
2 Corinthians 4:7–18
Paul acknowledges the frailty of our humanity and yet within our frame there is “this treasure” which is to show forth the power of God through our weakness in
2 Corinthians 4:7 (LEB) “But we have this treasure in earthenware jars, in order that the extraordinary degree of the power may be from God and not from us”
While it may seem to us and even to the world that we are being destroyed, as we give ourselves to the ministry of this gospel in
2 Corinthians 4:12 (LEB) “So then, death is at work in us, but life in you”
and it is this life that we desire to manifest for all to see in
2 Corinthians 4:15 (LEB) “For all these things ⌊are for your sake⌋, in order that the grace that is increasing through the many may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God”
Study Verses
- 2 Corinthians 3:9–18 A Veil Lies Upon Their Heart
- 2 Corinthians 4:1–6 The Glory of God in the Face of Christ
- 2 Corinthians 4:7–18 We Have This Treasure in Earthenware Jars
Today’s Reading
- 2 Corinthians 2:5-17
- 2 Corinthians 3:1-18
- 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
References
- 1. Easley, K. H. (2017). 2 Corinthians. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 1843). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
