Commentary by John W. Gregson

TREASURES IN EARTHEN VESSELS

II Corinthians 4:1 - 18

Paul sees himself as an honest preacher of righteousness. He has renounced (apeipametha) or abandoned the hidden (krupta) or secret things such as dishonesty (aischunes) or shame, craftiness (panourgia) or subtlety, handling deceitfully (dolountes) the word of God or employing underhanded methods - because he is a God-called minister, and he desires that he have a clear conscience approved (sunistanontes) or to be commended by everyone. All subtle, cunning, underhanded dealing has no place in ministry. Utter the whole truth, no hedging, no adulterating, no doctoring the truth. This is more than can be said of the false prophets in Corinth who would lead the true believers astray. "Here is a bold statement of a fearless gospel preacher. By implication Paul here speaks volumes about the preaching methods of demagogues...He never employed the dishonest methods of preaching which he here described. He attacks these tools of the religious demagogue as something which he never would employ" (Yeager, Volume XIII, p. 322).

3 - 6 If the gospel is hidden (kekalummenon) or covered, it is hidden to those who have closed their eyes and ears to the gospel message; they are the lost (apollumenois) and perishing until the Holy Spirit convicts (See: Matthew 11:25, 26). "The blindness of unbelievers in no way detracts from the clearness of his gospel...for the sun is no less resplendent because the blind do not perceive its light" (Hughes, p. 125). The god of this world, who is Satan, has blinded (etuphlosen) or rendered sightless the eyes of the lost lest they see and believe. His work is to keep the lost from seeing the error of their way and accept the glorious light of the gospel. Satan does not want the light (photismon) or enlightenment of the glorious gospel to shine (augasai) or enlighten the lost. Paul wrote that the Ephesians once "were dead in trespasses and sin; in which in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air..." (2:1, 2). Satan claimed to rule over the world in his temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4:8; Luke 4:5). There is another side to the coin; the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, will bring enlightenment to those whom the Holy Spirit draws regardless of the power of Satan. The Creator God who spoke, "Light be," (Genesis 1:3) and light was throughout the universe, is the same Savior God who can bring "light" to the benighted sinner; He is the Illuminator of the soul.

Paul wants it clearly understood, to all the unbelievers and the church members of Corinth as well, that he is preaching the true gospel and not seeking to promote himself whatsoever. The central Object of Paul's message was "Christ Jesus the Lord;" he preached (kerussomen) or heralded Jesus as Savior. Christ is the Image (eikon) of God. Paul was only a servant (doulous) or bond slave of Jehovah God for Jesus' sake. "This is sufficient reason for any preacher's sacrifice, 'for Jesus' sake'" (Robertson, p. 225). Jehovah God is the Creator; He is the One Who spoke and light came into existence in the universe. He is the same God Who can shine the light of knowledge of the glorious gospel in men's benighted hearts, and He can save them by His marvelous grace. The God Who showed His power in creation is the same God Who saves men from their sins. "The Creator God of the Old Testament is one and the same with the Re-Creator God of the New Testament" (Hughes, p. 133).

Spurgeon wrote, "Some expositors make the verse run thus: 'God...hath shined in our hearts that we might give out again the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' Never is a gleam of light given to any man to hide away. Only think of a person, when his room is full of sunlight, saying to his servant, 'Close the shutters, and let us keep this precious light to ourselves.' So, when a child of God gets the light from Christ's face, he must not say, 'I shall keep this to myself,' for that would shut it out. No; you have the light that ye may reflect it. If you have learned the truth, make it plain to others. Let Jesus manifest Himself in His own light; do not cast a light on Him, or attempt to show the sun with a candle. Do not aim at converting men to your views, but let the light shine for itself and work its own way. Scatter your light in all unselfishness. Wish to shine, not that others may say 'How bright he is!' but that they, getting the light, may rejoice in the source from with it came to you and to them" (B. I., Volume XLIV, pp. 153, 154).

7 - 10 Although Paul and the true ministers of the gospel preach the glorious message, the true Person is housed in earthen (ostrakinois), jars of clay or baked clay, vessels. "The term earthen vessels implies something fragile, inferior and expendable" (Barnett, p. 220). We are all creatures of dust; however, through Paul and us, God can get the most honor and glory from our lives because we are but clay. One is reminded of Gideon and his hundred men who, "...broke the pitchers (clay vessels) that were in their hands...they broke the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands..." (Judges 7:19, 20). The pitchers were broken so that the light shown forth; sometimes God must break His children that His light might shine through them. The weaknesses, inabilities and insufficiencies of man magnify God's power; it is all-surpassing. "It is as though a most costly jewel were encased in an earthenware jar! Paul sees in this a supreme manifestation of the divine law that God's strength is made perfect in human weakness (12:9). This striking paradox makes it clear that the gospel is no product of human ingenuity, no clever discovery of the human intellect, no bright idea of some outstanding genius, but a revelation of the power of the sovereign God" (Tasker, p. 72).

Because we are creatures of clay, Paul says he and his associates are troubled (thibomenoi) or afflicted on every side, yet not distressed (stenochoroumenoi) or crushed; we are perplexed (aporoumenoi) or in doubt, but not in despair (exaporoumenoi) or hopeless. Yeager translates this verse, "I am always under pressure, but never totally helpless; with no way to procede, I am never without a way out" (p. 330). Man's extremity is God's opportunity; when things seem hopeless then God can give the victory. We are persecuted (diokomenoi) or pursued, but not forsaken (egkataleipomenoi) or abandoned; we are cast down (kataballouemoi) or overthrown, but not destroyed. Man may abandon one another, but God never does abandon us. In fact, our Lord Jesus on the Cross was abandoned by Jehovah God so we would never be abandoned. The child of God, especially the minister of the gospel, may be in constant jeopardy, but God always comes to our rescue. To use a modern phrase - Paul was "knocked down but not knocked out" (Barclay). Paul must have felt at times like a stag at bay, surrounded by a pack of barking dogs; problems and opposition closed in on him from all sides. He was as are all of God's servants, indestructible until he has accomplished God's work; in death, however, like Christ he is indissolubly linked to the resurrection.

Paul and many of God's true ministers bear (peripherontes) or carry about in their bodies the marks of persecution. He dies (nekrosin) or is slaughtered daily that the glory of the gospel and the message of the risen Jesus can be preached to the lost. "Paul chooses not the common word for death (thanatos, vv, 11, 12) but a word that describes the entire process of death (nekrosis, Romans 4:19). This latter word describes the mortification of the body; the final process of weakening, dying, and decomposition" (Kistemaker, p. 149). Someone has well said, "the colors of the true servant of God are black and blue;" it was so for Paul. Goodspeed translates a portion of this verse, "...never free from the danger of being put to death like Jesus, so that in my body the life of Jesus also may be seen." Paul wrote to Timothy (II Timothy 2:11), "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him;"

11, 12 Paul labors with a death sentence upon him wherever he goes. Only the power of the risen Christ can keep him from suffering death at the hands of his enemies. Of course, Paul is immortal until God is finished with his witness. God delivers (paradidometha) or makes available his servant from death for Jesus' sake that God might have a witness manifest (phanerothe) or displayed in mortal flesh. Our Lord stated in John 15:20, "...the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you..." Jesus also said in John 16:33, "...In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Death works in the life of Paul, but life is at work (energeitai) or made operative in the Corinthians. Because Paul was in constant danger of death, his preaching gives life to his hearers.

13, 14 Paul calls to witness a passage from Psalm 116:10 which reads, "I believed, therefore have I spoken, I was greatly afflicted." Just as David of the psalm was delivered from death and tribulation, so the New Testament saint can have the same deliverance; this particular psalm is a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance. Chrysostom says, "(Paul) has reminded us of a psalm which abounds in heavenly wisdom and which is especially fitted to encourage in dangers; for that just man uttered this saying when he was in great dangers, from which there was no possibility of recovery except by the aid of God" (Hughes, p. 147). Paul's faith and the Corinthian's faith is one and the same. It is only by faith that anyone can be saved from eternal death.

His faith was in the risen Lord. Since the Lord Jesus arose from the grave others can look forward in anticipation to their own resurrection; because Jesus arose we, too, shall rise. The One Who made this possible is the Creator, Sustainer, Jehovah God. He made it possible, and He will stand by our side (paraesthesia) or stand along side of us. Christ Jesus the Lord is our hope. When Jesus returns to earth He shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4), and all the redeemed will stand with Him.

15, 16 God has His children's interest always in mind. Even those things that happen to the child of God, God always works it out for His honor and glory and for our good. Romans 8:28 reads, "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..." Although this passage may refer to salvation in general, it also can mean that God always has our interests at heart that we might redound (pleonasasa) or abound to the glory of God. Yeager says, "the ultimate purpose in Paul's ministry, as it ought to be in the ministry of all of us, is to promote in ever-increasing crescendo, the constant amplification of the chorus of thanksgiving to God that results from an ever increasing number of saved people" (p. 337). Verse 16 harks back to verse 1, "we faint not." Because of the principles in the preceding verses, the child of God can take courage (egkakoumen) and not faint even when things look dim. Though our outward man perishes (diaphtheiretai) or is corrupt, the inward man is renewed (anakainoutai) or rejuvenated day by day by the power of Jehovah God. The outward or outer man is exo; the inward or inner man is eso; the outward man is the fleshly man, the inner man is the spiritual man. When the outer man is born, he begins to die or deteriorate and sooner or later senility catches up with him. Denney observes that "the decay of the outward man in the godless is a melancholy spectacle, for it is the decay of everything" (Hughes, p. 154).

17, 18 When the child of God reaches heaven, the trials and tribulations of this life will seem but a moment. Heaven is for eternity; trials in this life are only momentary compared to eternity. Our light (thlipseos) or moderate affliction is but for a moment (parpautika) or temporary; it works (katergazetai) or produces for us a far more exceeding (huperbolen) or abundant and eternal weight of glory. We can thank God for trials and persecutions, for they in turn will generate eternal rewards (Romans 8:18; James 1:2; Matthew 5:11, 12; Romans 5:3 - 5). Affliction today is for our good, conditioning us for the life up in heaven. The more affliction - the more glory; the more trials - the sweeter the rest and peace.

The things that are seen are temporary (proskaira) or temporal, but the unseen things are eternal (aionia) or forever. "Faith (only the Christian has it) ignores the temporary and visible and bases his philosophy upon the eternal, which, though some day to be visible, is not now in physical view. Thus the Christian is able to escape environmental determination with its Stoic despair" (Yeager, p. 341). Things temporary, transitory, and passing cannot comfort, nor can they give peace. Things eternal are the goal of the Christian. Our trust is in things unseen, things which are possible only through the eyes of faith.

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