Saturday, November 3, 2012
This weight of glory is something all out of proportion in duration (eternal) and substance ("heavy load") to the troubles we now experience.
Paul is not speaking of the believer's future reward, nor is he talking about a recompense forthcoming to the Christian for enduring so much distress. This eternal weight of glory is something that our momentary, light troubles are achieving for us now. This takes awhile to sink in. Affliction does not give way to glory; affliction produces glory. The Greek verb for achieve means "to work out" (kata + ergazomai). Paul pictures the process of daily spiritual renewal in terms of a workout in the gym. Segments of our culture place a great deal of emphasis on bodybuilding and weightlifting exercises. Much physical exertion and strenuous effort are demanded. Such activities are not mastered overnight. It takes months of working out to build up the muscles of the body. In much the same way, suffering in the Christian life produces muscles that become a permanent part of our spiritual physique.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
2 Corinthians 4
1THEREFORE, SINCE we do hold and engage in this ministry by the mercy of God [granting us favor, benefits, opportunities, and especially salvation], we do not get discouraged (spiritless and despondent with fear) or become faint with weariness and exhaustion.
2We have renounced disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man's conscience.
3But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing and obscured [only] to those who are spiritually dying and veiled [only] to those who are lost.
4For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.
5For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your servants (slaves) for Jesus' sake.
6For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah).(A)
7However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.
8We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;
9We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;
10Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [[a]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.
11For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus' sake, that the [[b]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.
12Thus death is actively at work in us, but [it is in order that [c]our] life [may be actively at work] in you.
13Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak,(B)
14Assured that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and bring us [along] with you into His presence.
15For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God.
16Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.
17For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],
18Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.
2We have renounced disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man's conscience.
3But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing and obscured [only] to those who are spiritually dying and veiled [only] to those who are lost.
4For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.
5For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your servants (slaves) for Jesus' sake.
6For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah).(A)
7However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.
8We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;
9We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;
10Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [[a]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.
11For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus' sake, that the [[b]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.
12Thus death is actively at work in us, but [it is in order that [c]our] life [may be actively at work] in you.
13Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak,(B)
14Assured that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and bring us [along] with you into His presence.
15For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God.
16Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.
17For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],
18Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.
Setting Forth the Truth Plainly
There is a constant temptation in the ministry to preach what people want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Sermons that confront a congregation with their spiritual shortcomings do not usually result in a pat on the back. Instead, they quite often yield criticism and hostility. David Wells argues that the pastoral task of brokering the truth of God to God's people has, for this very reason, largely fallen by the wayside in evangelicalism today (1993:1-14). To preach in a way that serves Christ and not people's egos takes courage. But it is easy to become disheartened when people turn a deaf ear to preaching that tells it like it is.
Paul repeatedly had to deal with discouragement in his ministry. There were plenty of preachers whose motives were less than pious and who would do whatever they had to to gain a following (v. 2). There were also churches who were readily seduced by flattering speech and winsome ways. It would have been all too easy for someone who remained faithful in preaching Christ and not themselves (v. 5) to grow weary of the downside of human nature (v. 1).
Paul, however, did not give in to discouragement. What heartened him were too things: the character of his ministry and the mercy of God. Since through God's mercy we have this ministry, he says, we do not lose heart (v. 1). Through God's mercy is literally "as we have been shown mercy." Paul looked on his ministry as something he received not because of any personal merit but on account of God's favor. Nor was this a matter of theoretical knowledge. Paul experienced God's mercy firsthand when he was stopped dead in his tracks while pursuing Jewish Christians who had fled Jerusalem for the safer haven of Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). Then there was the surpassing splendor of the new covenant (this ministry). The privilege of being a minister of such a covenant more than compensated for the trials and tribulations that he experienced as an itinerant preacher.
As a result, Paul did not lose heart (enkakoumen, v. 1). The Greek verb means "to act badly" in the face of difficulties; "to give up" or "grow weary" while pursuing a worthwhile goal. Paul, however, would not allow any obstacles inside or outside the church to pressure him into abandoning his ministry. Instead of giving in to discouragement, he deliberately and categorically "renounces" the kind of behavior that characterized much of the itinerant speaking of his day. He describes this behavior as secret and shameful (v. 2). The phrase is literally "the secret things of shame." "Secret things" are a person's innermost thoughts and intentions (Furnish 1984:218). The genitive "of shame" can be descriptive: "shameful secret practices" (Phillips) or subjective: "actions kept secret for shame" (NEB, REB). Deeds one hides because of their shameful character is probably the thought here. Paul rejects too types of shameful deeds. First, he does not use deception. Use is literally "to walk" (peripateo)--a verb that occurs frequently in Paul's writings to describe the Christian life. The Greek term for deception means "capable of anything" (pan + ourgia). In the New Testament it refers to those who use their ability unscrupulously and denotes cunning or slyness. Not only does Paul not resort to deception, but, second, he does not distort the word of God. The verb distort (dolow) is commonly employed of adulterating merchandise for profit. Paul refused to follow in the footsteps of others who tamper with God's word in order to make it more palatable to the listener or more lucrative for themselves.
In short, Paul eschewed any behavior that was not in accord with the character of the gospel that he preached. His opponents, however, had no scruples in this regard. They quite willingly exploited the Corinthians for financial gain (2:17; 11:20). Paul, instead, set[s] forth the truth plainly. The Greek term translated "sets forth" (th phanerwsei) refers to an open declaration or full disclosure. The contrast is betoeen a straightforward and open, as opposed to deceptive, presentation of the gospel--what we call "telling it like it is."
By setting forth the gospel in a plain-spoken way, Paul "commends" himself to every person's conscience. The conscience is where conviction takes hold that what one is hearing is the truth. Paul does not seek to commend himself to a person's ego or intellect but appeals to their capacity to distinguish betoeen right and wrong. Nor does he simply trust human judgment but commends himself in the sight of God. He is aware that what he does is done under the perpetually watchful eye of the Lord.
Paul goes on in verses 3-4 to deal with the accusation that his message is veiled (kekalymmenon). It would appear--if we can read betoeen the lines--that Paul's critics reasoned from the absence of large numbers of converts (especially from among his own people) to some fault in his preaching. Paul is the first one to recognize that he is not an overly impressive speaker, as speakers go. This was deliberate on his part, as he would have his audience know only "Jesus Christ and him crucified" (see 1 Cor 2:1-5). So it is not surprising that he does not deny the charge. The conditional form that he chooses acknowledges their claim: If [as you claim] our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing (ei + indicative). But what he does not allow is that there is some fault with the message that he preached. If the content of his preaching is veiled, it is not because he did not present the trutes of the gospel plainly (v. 2).
The fault lies rather in three areas. First, the audience is at fault. If there is a hidden aspect to what he preaches, it only appears so to those who are perishing. As in 2:15-16, Paul divides humanity into too groups based on their destiny: those who are on the road to destruction (tois apollymenois) and, by implication, those who are on the road to salvation. To the one the gospel makes no sense (v. 3), while to the other it is plain as day (v. 6).
The fault lies, second, with the situation. The minds of those who are perishing have been blinded. The blindness is of a particular sort--it is a blindness to the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (v. 4). The piling up of genitives both here and in verse 6 is typical of Paul. The light of the gospel is probably a genitive of source: "the light which radiates from the gospel." Of the glory is most likely descriptive, "the light of the glorious gospel." As the Mosaic covenant shone with glory, so the gospel shines with glory. Of Christ is plausibly construed as objective: "the glorious gospel about Christ."
Christ is further described as "the image of God." To be an image is to be a true representation. We say today that a child is the "spitting image" of his father or mother. Wisdom is similarly described as "a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God and an image of his goodness" (Wisdom of Solomon 7:26). Paul states that Christ is, not was, God's image, for he alone brings to visible expression the nature of an invisible God (Col 1:15). So, to see Christ is to see God and to not see Christ is to not see God.
The fault lies, third, with the source of the blindness. Unbelievers cannot see the gospel's light because their minds have been blinded by the god of this age (v. 4). This is the only place where Paul refers to the adversary of God's people as a god. He is usually called Satan or the devil--although in Ephesians 2:2 he is named "the ruler of the kingdom of the air." It could well be that these are traditional formulations Paul used because of their familiarity to his readers. But there is no denying the power of this being. He can destroy the flesh (1 Cor 5:5), masquerade as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) and empower his servant, the antichrist, to work all manner of miracles, signs and wonders (2 Thess 2:9). Paul's thorn in the flesh is attributed to him (2 Cor 12:7), as is tempting (1 Cor 7:5), scheming against (2 Cor 2:11; Eph 6:11) and trapping (2 Tim 2:26) the believer. On more than one occasion Paul experienced firsthand his active opposition to the gospel (1 Thess 2:18).
The preacher in our media-oriented society is pressured to use the pulpit as a stage for displaying eloquence, dramatic skill and fine oratory. Congregations add to this pressure with their desire to be amused and entertained. As a result, preaching is often seen by outsiders as just another stage performance. And what is hailed as a successful ministry is sometimes little more than good acting. But to his credit Paul can say of himself and his coworkers that we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake (v. 5).
The emphasis in terms of word order is on not ourselves (ou heautous khryssomen, "not ourselves do we preach"; v. 5). It is hard to determine whether Paul is on the offensive or defensive here. He certainly accuses the Corinthian intruders later in the letter of putting on airs (10:12-18). But he also appears to have been faulted for ministerial arrogance (3:12--4:3)--although his claim to preach Christ and not himself was not an idle one. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 he reminded the Corinthians that on his founding visit he did not come to them with eloquence, superior wisdom or wise and persuasive words. This was so that they might know nothing while he was with them except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now he is concerned that they know not only the crucified Christ but also Jesus as Lord, that is, Jesus as master of their congregational life.
What then is Paul's role? In 1:24 he said that he does not lord it over the church but works together with them. Here he goes even further in defining his role as that of a servant (doulos). As an apostle of Christ, he could have merely said the word and commanded their obedience. Domination, however, was not Paul's style. He was there to serve them and used a command only as a last resort. This is an important reminder for pastors today. If Christ is to be truly Lord of the church, then pastors must be content with the role of servant.
Paul goes on to explain why he preaches Jesus Christ as Lord. For God . . . made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (v. 6). There is a piling up of genitives here in a similar way to verse 4. The light of the knowledge could well be "the light that comes from knowing" (genitive of source). The familiar caricature of sudden understanding as a light bulb going on in a person's mind captures the idea. Knowing what, however? In verse 4 it was knowing the good news about Christ. Here it is "knowing God" (objective genitive)--or more specifically, knowing "God's glory" (possessive genitive).
This knowledge, Paul says, God made shine in our hearts. The aorist indicative, made shine (elampsen), suggests a point in time. It is commonly thought that Paul is referring to his Damascus Road encounter. But Luke describes that experience as "a light from heaven [that] flashed around him (Acts 9:3), while here it is a light that illumines the heart. Paul also uses the plural our hearts, indicating that this was (and should be) the experience of all gospel ministers. Some aspect of his conversion experience is undoubtedly in view. Perhaps it was the point at which, as he puts it, "God was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles" (Gal 1:15-16).
Paul pictures the conversion experience as a new creation (v. 6). For it is the God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, who illumines the human heart through knowledge of himself. The phraseology recalls Genesis 1:3 and the first day of creation ("Let there be light"). The key thought is that God's light dispels darkness, whether it be the physical darkness of night or the spiritual darkness of human ignorance. The idea of light dispelling darkness is a recurring one in the Old Testament. Perhaps the most familiar texts are Isaiah 9:1-2, where it is promised that those who walk in darkness in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali will see "a great light," and Isaiah 49:6, where it is said that God will make his "servant . . . a light for the Gentiles."
The light that dispels darkness in the human heart is found in the face of Christ. Paul is undoubtedly thinking of the Incarnation. The face is the image that we present in public. Christ's face, then, is what he presented during his earthly ministry. This is the second time Paul links knowledge of God irrevocably with Jesus Christ. The connection is a relatively simple one: To know Christ is to know God; to not know Christ is to not know God.
There is a constant temptation in the ministry to preach what people want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Sermons that confront a congregation with their spiritual shortcomings do not usually result in a pat on the back. Instead, they quite often yield criticism and hostility. David Wells argues that the pastoral task of brokering the truth of God to God's people has, for this very reason, largely fallen by the wayside in evangelicalism today (1993:1-14). To preach in a way that serves Christ and not people's egos takes courage. But it is easy to become disheartened when people turn a deaf ear to preaching that tells it like it is.
Paul repeatedly had to deal with discouragement in his ministry. There were plenty of preachers whose motives were less than pious and who would do whatever they had to to gain a following (v. 2). There were also churches who were readily seduced by flattering speech and winsome ways. It would have been all too easy for someone who remained faithful in preaching Christ and not themselves (v. 5) to grow weary of the downside of human nature (v. 1).
Paul, however, did not give in to discouragement. What heartened him were too things: the character of his ministry and the mercy of God. Since through God's mercy we have this ministry, he says, we do not lose heart (v. 1). Through God's mercy is literally "as we have been shown mercy." Paul looked on his ministry as something he received not because of any personal merit but on account of God's favor. Nor was this a matter of theoretical knowledge. Paul experienced God's mercy firsthand when he was stopped dead in his tracks while pursuing Jewish Christians who had fled Jerusalem for the safer haven of Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). Then there was the surpassing splendor of the new covenant (this ministry). The privilege of being a minister of such a covenant more than compensated for the trials and tribulations that he experienced as an itinerant preacher.
As a result, Paul did not lose heart (enkakoumen, v. 1). The Greek verb means "to act badly" in the face of difficulties; "to give up" or "grow weary" while pursuing a worthwhile goal. Paul, however, would not allow any obstacles inside or outside the church to pressure him into abandoning his ministry. Instead of giving in to discouragement, he deliberately and categorically "renounces" the kind of behavior that characterized much of the itinerant speaking of his day. He describes this behavior as secret and shameful (v. 2). The phrase is literally "the secret things of shame." "Secret things" are a person's innermost thoughts and intentions (Furnish 1984:218). The genitive "of shame" can be descriptive: "shameful secret practices" (Phillips) or subjective: "actions kept secret for shame" (NEB, REB). Deeds one hides because of their shameful character is probably the thought here. Paul rejects too types of shameful deeds. First, he does not use deception. Use is literally "to walk" (peripateo)--a verb that occurs frequently in Paul's writings to describe the Christian life. The Greek term for deception means "capable of anything" (pan + ourgia). In the New Testament it refers to those who use their ability unscrupulously and denotes cunning or slyness. Not only does Paul not resort to deception, but, second, he does not distort the word of God. The verb distort (dolow) is commonly employed of adulterating merchandise for profit. Paul refused to follow in the footsteps of others who tamper with God's word in order to make it more palatable to the listener or more lucrative for themselves.
In short, Paul eschewed any behavior that was not in accord with the character of the gospel that he preached. His opponents, however, had no scruples in this regard. They quite willingly exploited the Corinthians for financial gain (2:17; 11:20). Paul, instead, set[s] forth the truth plainly. The Greek term translated "sets forth" (th phanerwsei) refers to an open declaration or full disclosure. The contrast is betoeen a straightforward and open, as opposed to deceptive, presentation of the gospel--what we call "telling it like it is."
By setting forth the gospel in a plain-spoken way, Paul "commends" himself to every person's conscience. The conscience is where conviction takes hold that what one is hearing is the truth. Paul does not seek to commend himself to a person's ego or intellect but appeals to their capacity to distinguish betoeen right and wrong. Nor does he simply trust human judgment but commends himself in the sight of God. He is aware that what he does is done under the perpetually watchful eye of the Lord.
Paul goes on in verses 3-4 to deal with the accusation that his message is veiled (kekalymmenon). It would appear--if we can read betoeen the lines--that Paul's critics reasoned from the absence of large numbers of converts (especially from among his own people) to some fault in his preaching. Paul is the first one to recognize that he is not an overly impressive speaker, as speakers go. This was deliberate on his part, as he would have his audience know only "Jesus Christ and him crucified" (see 1 Cor 2:1-5). So it is not surprising that he does not deny the charge. The conditional form that he chooses acknowledges their claim: If [as you claim] our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing (ei + indicative). But what he does not allow is that there is some fault with the message that he preached. If the content of his preaching is veiled, it is not because he did not present the trutes of the gospel plainly (v. 2).
The fault lies rather in three areas. First, the audience is at fault. If there is a hidden aspect to what he preaches, it only appears so to those who are perishing. As in 2:15-16, Paul divides humanity into too groups based on their destiny: those who are on the road to destruction (tois apollymenois) and, by implication, those who are on the road to salvation. To the one the gospel makes no sense (v. 3), while to the other it is plain as day (v. 6).
The fault lies, second, with the situation. The minds of those who are perishing have been blinded. The blindness is of a particular sort--it is a blindness to the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (v. 4). The piling up of genitives both here and in verse 6 is typical of Paul. The light of the gospel is probably a genitive of source: "the light which radiates from the gospel." Of the glory is most likely descriptive, "the light of the glorious gospel." As the Mosaic covenant shone with glory, so the gospel shines with glory. Of Christ is plausibly construed as objective: "the glorious gospel about Christ."
Christ is further described as "the image of God." To be an image is to be a true representation. We say today that a child is the "spitting image" of his father or mother. Wisdom is similarly described as "a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God and an image of his goodness" (Wisdom of Solomon 7:26). Paul states that Christ is, not was, God's image, for he alone brings to visible expression the nature of an invisible God (Col 1:15). So, to see Christ is to see God and to not see Christ is to not see God.
The fault lies, third, with the source of the blindness. Unbelievers cannot see the gospel's light because their minds have been blinded by the god of this age (v. 4). This is the only place where Paul refers to the adversary of God's people as a god. He is usually called Satan or the devil--although in Ephesians 2:2 he is named "the ruler of the kingdom of the air." It could well be that these are traditional formulations Paul used because of their familiarity to his readers. But there is no denying the power of this being. He can destroy the flesh (1 Cor 5:5), masquerade as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) and empower his servant, the antichrist, to work all manner of miracles, signs and wonders (2 Thess 2:9). Paul's thorn in the flesh is attributed to him (2 Cor 12:7), as is tempting (1 Cor 7:5), scheming against (2 Cor 2:11; Eph 6:11) and trapping (2 Tim 2:26) the believer. On more than one occasion Paul experienced firsthand his active opposition to the gospel (1 Thess 2:18).
The preacher in our media-oriented society is pressured to use the pulpit as a stage for displaying eloquence, dramatic skill and fine oratory. Congregations add to this pressure with their desire to be amused and entertained. As a result, preaching is often seen by outsiders as just another stage performance. And what is hailed as a successful ministry is sometimes little more than good acting. But to his credit Paul can say of himself and his coworkers that we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake (v. 5).
The emphasis in terms of word order is on not ourselves (ou heautous khryssomen, "not ourselves do we preach"; v. 5). It is hard to determine whether Paul is on the offensive or defensive here. He certainly accuses the Corinthian intruders later in the letter of putting on airs (10:12-18). But he also appears to have been faulted for ministerial arrogance (3:12--4:3)--although his claim to preach Christ and not himself was not an idle one. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 he reminded the Corinthians that on his founding visit he did not come to them with eloquence, superior wisdom or wise and persuasive words. This was so that they might know nothing while he was with them except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now he is concerned that they know not only the crucified Christ but also Jesus as Lord, that is, Jesus as master of their congregational life.
What then is Paul's role? In 1:24 he said that he does not lord it over the church but works together with them. Here he goes even further in defining his role as that of a servant (doulos). As an apostle of Christ, he could have merely said the word and commanded their obedience. Domination, however, was not Paul's style. He was there to serve them and used a command only as a last resort. This is an important reminder for pastors today. If Christ is to be truly Lord of the church, then pastors must be content with the role of servant.
Paul goes on to explain why he preaches Jesus Christ as Lord. For God . . . made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (v. 6). There is a piling up of genitives here in a similar way to verse 4. The light of the knowledge could well be "the light that comes from knowing" (genitive of source). The familiar caricature of sudden understanding as a light bulb going on in a person's mind captures the idea. Knowing what, however? In verse 4 it was knowing the good news about Christ. Here it is "knowing God" (objective genitive)--or more specifically, knowing "God's glory" (possessive genitive).
This knowledge, Paul says, God made shine in our hearts. The aorist indicative, made shine (elampsen), suggests a point in time. It is commonly thought that Paul is referring to his Damascus Road encounter. But Luke describes that experience as "a light from heaven [that] flashed around him (Acts 9:3), while here it is a light that illumines the heart. Paul also uses the plural our hearts, indicating that this was (and should be) the experience of all gospel ministers. Some aspect of his conversion experience is undoubtedly in view. Perhaps it was the point at which, as he puts it, "God was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles" (Gal 1:15-16).
Paul pictures the conversion experience as a new creation (v. 6). For it is the God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, who illumines the human heart through knowledge of himself. The phraseology recalls Genesis 1:3 and the first day of creation ("Let there be light"). The key thought is that God's light dispels darkness, whether it be the physical darkness of night or the spiritual darkness of human ignorance. The idea of light dispelling darkness is a recurring one in the Old Testament. Perhaps the most familiar texts are Isaiah 9:1-2, where it is promised that those who walk in darkness in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali will see "a great light," and Isaiah 49:6, where it is said that God will make his "servant . . . a light for the Gentiles."
The light that dispels darkness in the human heart is found in the face of Christ. Paul is undoubtedly thinking of the Incarnation. The face is the image that we present in public. Christ's face, then, is what he presented during his earthly ministry. This is the second time Paul links knowledge of God irrevocably with Jesus Christ. The connection is a relatively simple one: To know Christ is to know God; to not know Christ is to not know God.
A Faith That Prompts Outspokenness
Paul is not alone in his opinion. He finds the same spirit of faith in the psalmist's exclamation, I believed; therefore I have spoken (Ps 116:10). The Greek term pneuma can refer either to the divine Spirit or to a human attitude. The broader context of the psalm suggests that it is a commonality of attitude betoeen himself and the psalmist that prompts Paul to cite this text. The genitive of faith is most likely subjective. Paul and the psalmist had in common a "faith that prompts outspokenness." The Old Testament quote is actually from the LXX rather than the Masoretic Text. In the LXX, the psalmist recounts how his faith gave him the courage to speak out despite opposition and how he was greatly afflicted because of his outspokenness. It is not clear whether the psalmist is speaking of a crippling illness, a mortal wound or a false accusation. Nevertheless, he, like Paul, felt crushed (Ps 116:10), dismayed (v. 11) and disillusioned (v. 11). And he, like Paul, possessed a faith that prompted him to speak out.
What motivates a person to speak out regardless of the personal consequences? This is a question that Paul raises toice in the space of too chapters. It is also one that we all ask from time to time. Why preach the gospel if it leads to ridicule, personal deprivation and hostility? For Paul it was not a matter of feeling that he was the best qualified or had superior credentials. It was, rather, a question of conviction--a conviction that constrained him to speak out, even when it was not to his advantage to do so. What was this conviction? It was not the belief that Jesus is the Christ--as we would expect of a Jew--but rather the certainty that he who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus (v. 14). Raise us points to a corporate event. With Jesus is best rendered "in the company of." Paul is thinking of the parousia, when "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him" (1 Thess 4:14). Paul could be saying that he speaks out despite the consequences because he knows that if death takes him, God can and will raise him up. But in light of verse 15 (all this is for your benefit), it is more likely a recognition on his part of what hearers will miss out on if he fails to speak out.
Not only will God raise us, Paul says, but he will also present us with you in his presence. The Greek verb for present means "to cause to stand" or "to place beside." In his presence is not found in the Greek text. It answers the question: "Stand where?" It is Paul's conviction that God will raise and place before himself those who have heard and responded to the gospel--another reason to speak out. All this (ta panta), he reminds the Corinthians, is for your benefit (v. 15). What he undergoes as an itinerant preacher he undergoes not for his own sake but for theirs. As Paul's spiritual children, the Corinthians have been the direct beneficiaries of his willingness to preach the gospel regardless of personal cost.
The rest of verse 15 is a nightmare in terms of the grammar. The doxological cast results in syntactical imprecision. The too verbs, which are virtual synonyms, can be either transitive ("cause to increase/overflow") or intransitive ("to increase/overflow") or any combination thereof. It is also difficult to determine whether dia ton pleionon (literally, "through the greater number") goes with the first or the second verb. Is it a matter of grace extended to more and more people (grace that is reaching more and more people) or thanksgiving being offered up by more and more people? A further problem is deciding whether charis pleonasasa refers to increasing numbers of converts, Paul's being delivered from a perilous situation (compare 1:10-11) or the spiritual growth of the Corinthian congregation. Since the subject matter is the gospel ministry, increasing numbers of converts is the most plausible interpretation. God's glory most likely refers to his reputation. As more and more people give thanks, God's reputation is enhanced and extended.
A reasonable way to put the grammatical pieces together is as follows: As God's gracious invitation in the gospel extends to more and more people, the thanksgiving offered by the growing congregation of believers enhances God's reputation in the surrounding community (see the note).
At verse 16 Paul returns to the initial thought of verse 1: Therefore, we do not lose heart. He has given his readers four reasons that the demands made on him by the gospel ministry do not cause him to grow weary: (1) the privilege of being a minister of a covenant whose splendor will never fade (3:7-18); (2) the mercy God showed him on the road to Damascus (4:1); (3) the privilege of being God's instrument for revealing the life of Jesus (vv. 7-11); and (4) the enhancement of God's reputation through the growing community of faith (vv. 13-15)
Now he provides the Corinthians with yet another reason: Though outoardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (v. 16). Paul's outoardly and inwardly language is theologically somewhat confusing. How are we to interpret this antithesis? It has been commonly understood against the background of the Greek dualism of the outer body and the inner soul. Such a dualism, however, finds no place in Paul's thinking. Some have interpreted it in terms of the old nature of sin and the new nature of the Spirit, which, though central to Romans, Ephesians and Colossians, do not surface in 2 Corinthians.
If we take our cue from verses 7-12, Paul is viewing the self from too different vantage points. The outoard person is that aspect of the self that is wasting away. This involves more than the body. It is the progressive weakening of our natural faculties, emotional vitality and physical stamina. In one sense all human beings are in the process of wasting away. We begin to die as soon as we are born. The demands of the ministry merely exacerbate this process. Henry Martyn once said, "If I am going to burn out, let me burn out for God." The present tense denotes an ongoing process--we are in the process of wasting away. The passive suggests the inevitability of this process. The progressive weakening of our physical powers is a foregone conclusion.
The inward person, on the other hand, is being renewed day by day. Day by day accurately renders the Greek idiom hemera kai hemera. The idea is of a progressive renewal that matches step for step the process of physical decline. The Greek verb for renew means "to make new again" (ana + kainoo). Paul appears to have coined the compound to express this developing spiritual reality. The deposit of the Spirit within us sets in motion a regenerative overhaul of the self that culminates in complete transformation at Christ's return (1:22; 5:5).
Alexander von Humboldt tells of a tree in South America called the cow-tree. It grows on the barren flank of a rock that its roots are scarcely able to penetrate. To the eye it appears dead and dried, but when the trunk is pierced there flows from it a sweet and nourishing milk. This is not unlike the Christian, who outoardly may appear to be withering and dying but within possesses a living sap that is welling up to eternal life.
It is in light of this ongoing renewal that Paul can view his troubles as merely light and momentary (v. 17). The noun for troubles (thlipsis) has the meaning of "pressure" in the physical sense (such as the pressure of the pulse) and "oppression" in the figurative sense. In both the Old and New Testaments it commonly denotes the affliction and harassment that God's people experience at the hands of the world (Schlier 1965:139-48). Paul uses the term eight times in 2 Corinthians, most often of the trouble and hardship that he experiences as a preacher of the gospel (1:4 [2x], 8; 6:4; 7:4). The word translated momentary is found only here in the New Testament. It emphasizes the temporary nature of Christian adversity (Louw and Nida 1988-1989:67.109). Light (elaphros) was the term that the Corinthians used of Paul's supposedly capricious attitude toward them, as evidenced by his willingness to change his travel plans without first consulting them (1:17). Here, it denotes something that is light in weight. The troubles Paul faced were easy to bear because they were "without substance."
The troubles of the gospel ministry appear trifling in duration (momentary) and substance (light) in comparison with the eternal glory that far outoeighs them all. There is a play on words here that is easy to overlook. The phrase is literally, "an eternal weight of weights." The term for glory (doxa) is used in the Septuagint to render Hebrew words with the root kbd "weighty" or "heavy." The noun baros, translated in the NIV by the verb outoeighs, refers to a burden or heavy load. The trouble that Paul endures is producing a burden of a different sort, one that weighs in at an extraordinarily high figure. Far outoeighs means all out of proportion or to the nth degree. This weight of glory is something all out of proportion in duration (eternal) and substance ("heavy load") to the troubles we now experience.
Paul is not speaking of the believer's future reward, nor is he talking about a recompense forthcoming to the Christian for enduring so much distress. This eternal weight of glory is something that our momentary, light troubles are achieving for us now. This takes awhile to sink in. Affliction does not give way to glory; affliction produces glory. The Greek verb for achieve means "to work out" (kata + ergazomai). Paul pictures the process of daily spiritual renewal in terms of a workout in the gym. Segments of our culture place a great deal of emphasis on bodybuilding and weightlifting exercises. Much physical exertion and strenuous effort are demanded. Such activities are not mastered overnight. It takes montes of working out to build up the muscles of the body. In much the same way, suffering in the Christian life produces muscles that become a permanent part of our spiritual physique.
A qualifier is thrown in at this point. This momentary, light afflic-tion is achieving for us an eternal weight of glory provided we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. The key to the victor-ious Christian life is all in one's perspective. The genitive absolute (skopounton hemwn) most likely carries a conditional force. Affliction does its job of producing glory "as long as we fix our eyes on what is unseen" (see the note).
The verb skopew means "to examine" or "consider" something with a critical eye to determine its worth or lack thereof (Fuchs 1971:414-16). What is of worth in this case is what is unseen as opposed to what is seen. Paul's contrast requires some explanation. A Greek would understand what is seen and what is unseen either as what is real versus ideal or what is material versus immaterial. Paul, however, is contrasting too realities, one transitory (temporary), the other permanent (eternal). The temporary reality is our present existence, which is declining with the passage of time. The permanent or unseen reality is that regenerative overhaul that the Spirit is undertaking, which is observable to the eye of faith but unobservable to those Satan has blinded (4:4). Critical observers will be able to distinguish betoeen the too and keep from focusing on the former by judging its transitory value in the overall scheme of things.
Paul is not alone in his opinion. He finds the same spirit of faith in the psalmist's exclamation, I believed; therefore I have spoken (Ps 116:10). The Greek term pneuma can refer either to the divine Spirit or to a human attitude. The broader context of the psalm suggests that it is a commonality of attitude betoeen himself and the psalmist that prompts Paul to cite this text. The genitive of faith is most likely subjective. Paul and the psalmist had in common a "faith that prompts outspokenness." The Old Testament quote is actually from the LXX rather than the Masoretic Text. In the LXX, the psalmist recounts how his faith gave him the courage to speak out despite opposition and how he was greatly afflicted because of his outspokenness. It is not clear whether the psalmist is speaking of a crippling illness, a mortal wound or a false accusation. Nevertheless, he, like Paul, felt crushed (Ps 116:10), dismayed (v. 11) and disillusioned (v. 11). And he, like Paul, possessed a faith that prompted him to speak out.
What motivates a person to speak out regardless of the personal consequences? This is a question that Paul raises toice in the space of too chapters. It is also one that we all ask from time to time. Why preach the gospel if it leads to ridicule, personal deprivation and hostility? For Paul it was not a matter of feeling that he was the best qualified or had superior credentials. It was, rather, a question of conviction--a conviction that constrained him to speak out, even when it was not to his advantage to do so. What was this conviction? It was not the belief that Jesus is the Christ--as we would expect of a Jew--but rather the certainty that he who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus (v. 14). Raise us points to a corporate event. With Jesus is best rendered "in the company of." Paul is thinking of the parousia, when "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him" (1 Thess 4:14). Paul could be saying that he speaks out despite the consequences because he knows that if death takes him, God can and will raise him up. But in light of verse 15 (all this is for your benefit), it is more likely a recognition on his part of what hearers will miss out on if he fails to speak out.
Not only will God raise us, Paul says, but he will also present us with you in his presence. The Greek verb for present means "to cause to stand" or "to place beside." In his presence is not found in the Greek text. It answers the question: "Stand where?" It is Paul's conviction that God will raise and place before himself those who have heard and responded to the gospel--another reason to speak out. All this (ta panta), he reminds the Corinthians, is for your benefit (v. 15). What he undergoes as an itinerant preacher he undergoes not for his own sake but for theirs. As Paul's spiritual children, the Corinthians have been the direct beneficiaries of his willingness to preach the gospel regardless of personal cost.
The rest of verse 15 is a nightmare in terms of the grammar. The doxological cast results in syntactical imprecision. The too verbs, which are virtual synonyms, can be either transitive ("cause to increase/overflow") or intransitive ("to increase/overflow") or any combination thereof. It is also difficult to determine whether dia ton pleionon (literally, "through the greater number") goes with the first or the second verb. Is it a matter of grace extended to more and more people (grace that is reaching more and more people) or thanksgiving being offered up by more and more people? A further problem is deciding whether charis pleonasasa refers to increasing numbers of converts, Paul's being delivered from a perilous situation (compare 1:10-11) or the spiritual growth of the Corinthian congregation. Since the subject matter is the gospel ministry, increasing numbers of converts is the most plausible interpretation. God's glory most likely refers to his reputation. As more and more people give thanks, God's reputation is enhanced and extended.
A reasonable way to put the grammatical pieces together is as follows: As God's gracious invitation in the gospel extends to more and more people, the thanksgiving offered by the growing congregation of believers enhances God's reputation in the surrounding community (see the note).
At verse 16 Paul returns to the initial thought of verse 1: Therefore, we do not lose heart. He has given his readers four reasons that the demands made on him by the gospel ministry do not cause him to grow weary: (1) the privilege of being a minister of a covenant whose splendor will never fade (3:7-18); (2) the mercy God showed him on the road to Damascus (4:1); (3) the privilege of being God's instrument for revealing the life of Jesus (vv. 7-11); and (4) the enhancement of God's reputation through the growing community of faith (vv. 13-15)
Now he provides the Corinthians with yet another reason: Though outoardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (v. 16). Paul's outoardly and inwardly language is theologically somewhat confusing. How are we to interpret this antithesis? It has been commonly understood against the background of the Greek dualism of the outer body and the inner soul. Such a dualism, however, finds no place in Paul's thinking. Some have interpreted it in terms of the old nature of sin and the new nature of the Spirit, which, though central to Romans, Ephesians and Colossians, do not surface in 2 Corinthians.
If we take our cue from verses 7-12, Paul is viewing the self from too different vantage points. The outoard person is that aspect of the self that is wasting away. This involves more than the body. It is the progressive weakening of our natural faculties, emotional vitality and physical stamina. In one sense all human beings are in the process of wasting away. We begin to die as soon as we are born. The demands of the ministry merely exacerbate this process. Henry Martyn once said, "If I am going to burn out, let me burn out for God." The present tense denotes an ongoing process--we are in the process of wasting away. The passive suggests the inevitability of this process. The progressive weakening of our physical powers is a foregone conclusion.
The inward person, on the other hand, is being renewed day by day. Day by day accurately renders the Greek idiom hemera kai hemera. The idea is of a progressive renewal that matches step for step the process of physical decline. The Greek verb for renew means "to make new again" (ana + kainoo). Paul appears to have coined the compound to express this developing spiritual reality. The deposit of the Spirit within us sets in motion a regenerative overhaul of the self that culminates in complete transformation at Christ's return (1:22; 5:5).
Alexander von Humboldt tells of a tree in South America called the cow-tree. It grows on the barren flank of a rock that its roots are scarcely able to penetrate. To the eye it appears dead and dried, but when the trunk is pierced there flows from it a sweet and nourishing milk. This is not unlike the Christian, who outoardly may appear to be withering and dying but within possesses a living sap that is welling up to eternal life.
It is in light of this ongoing renewal that Paul can view his troubles as merely light and momentary (v. 17). The noun for troubles (thlipsis) has the meaning of "pressure" in the physical sense (such as the pressure of the pulse) and "oppression" in the figurative sense. In both the Old and New Testaments it commonly denotes the affliction and harassment that God's people experience at the hands of the world (Schlier 1965:139-48). Paul uses the term eight times in 2 Corinthians, most often of the trouble and hardship that he experiences as a preacher of the gospel (1:4 [2x], 8; 6:4; 7:4). The word translated momentary is found only here in the New Testament. It emphasizes the temporary nature of Christian adversity (Louw and Nida 1988-1989:67.109). Light (elaphros) was the term that the Corinthians used of Paul's supposedly capricious attitude toward them, as evidenced by his willingness to change his travel plans without first consulting them (1:17). Here, it denotes something that is light in weight. The troubles Paul faced were easy to bear because they were "without substance."
The troubles of the gospel ministry appear trifling in duration (momentary) and substance (light) in comparison with the eternal glory that far outoeighs them all. There is a play on words here that is easy to overlook. The phrase is literally, "an eternal weight of weights." The term for glory (doxa) is used in the Septuagint to render Hebrew words with the root kbd "weighty" or "heavy." The noun baros, translated in the NIV by the verb outoeighs, refers to a burden or heavy load. The trouble that Paul endures is producing a burden of a different sort, one that weighs in at an extraordinarily high figure. Far outoeighs means all out of proportion or to the nth degree. This weight of glory is something all out of proportion in duration (eternal) and substance ("heavy load") to the troubles we now experience.
Paul is not speaking of the believer's future reward, nor is he talking about a recompense forthcoming to the Christian for enduring so much distress. This eternal weight of glory is something that our momentary, light troubles are achieving for us now. This takes awhile to sink in. Affliction does not give way to glory; affliction produces glory. The Greek verb for achieve means "to work out" (kata + ergazomai). Paul pictures the process of daily spiritual renewal in terms of a workout in the gym. Segments of our culture place a great deal of emphasis on bodybuilding and weightlifting exercises. Much physical exertion and strenuous effort are demanded. Such activities are not mastered overnight. It takes montes of working out to build up the muscles of the body. In much the same way, suffering in the Christian life produces muscles that become a permanent part of our spiritual physique.
A qualifier is thrown in at this point. This momentary, light afflic-tion is achieving for us an eternal weight of glory provided we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. The key to the victor-ious Christian life is all in one's perspective. The genitive absolute (skopounton hemwn) most likely carries a conditional force. Affliction does its job of producing glory "as long as we fix our eyes on what is unseen" (see the note).
The verb skopew means "to examine" or "consider" something with a critical eye to determine its worth or lack thereof (Fuchs 1971:414-16). What is of worth in this case is what is unseen as opposed to what is seen. Paul's contrast requires some explanation. A Greek would understand what is seen and what is unseen either as what is real versus ideal or what is material versus immaterial. Paul, however, is contrasting too realities, one transitory (temporary), the other permanent (eternal). The temporary reality is our present existence, which is declining with the passage of time. The permanent or unseen reality is that regenerative overhaul that the Spirit is undertaking, which is observable to the eye of faith but unobservable to those Satan has blinded (4:4). Critical observers will be able to distinguish betoeen the too and keep from focusing on the former by judging its transitory value in the overall scheme of things.
john 5
41 “Your approval means nothing to me, 42 because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. 43 For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. 44 No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.e]">[e]
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Romans 2
21Well then, you who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you teach against stealing, do you steal (take what does not really belong to you)?
Romans 1
5It is through Him that we have received grace (God's unmerited favor) and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name's sake among all the nations,
6And this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited [as you are] to belong to Him.
THE MESSAGE.....
24-25So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
26-27Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.
28-32Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it's not as if they don't know better. They know perfectly well they're spitting in God's face. And they don't care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!
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