Life Project Blog

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

You will recall that we are in a unit that began in 2:14 and which continues through 7:4 in which Paul is defending his apostolic ministry, and in a subsection that began at 4:1 and  continues through 5:10 dealing with his perseverance through his own shortcomings. Of course, all of this derives from the opposition to Paul’s ministry that cropped up in Corinth at some point after his first letter. We now enter the final phase of this subsection, with Paul’s conclusions drawn from the previous verses, and amplified in 5:1-10.

Naturally, we know for certain that we have arrived at his conclusion because of the word “therefore” in 4:16. In these three verses he ties his previous comments together into a conclusion that essentially says that the glory to come outweighs any hardship in this life.

Yes, Paul has his problems. Yes, he is sometimes persecuted, he has known his share of danger, and he has made some mistakes along the way. People accuse him unfairly, he is sometimes insulted, humiliated or cursed, but he continues to be faithful to his calling because he knows that in spite of any affliction in this life, which is itself temporary, his future in Christ is beyond bright, and God provides him with everything he needs inwardly to stay the course in this life.

I must confess to you that I am not an apostle and I’m sure you aren’t either. Yet we all have a calling from the Lord Jesus Christ to build His Kingdom, to share the gospel and to help others along the way. All of us know that we have the same Spirit within us that Paul had within him and thus, what Paul has declared in these three verses applies just as much to each one of us as it did to Paul. We also know that the strength God provided Paul was more than enough to keep him going until his last day on earth, and consequently, we also know that God will do the same for us if we are determined to remain faithful.

So, the only question left for us is whether or not we will determine to remain faithful to our callings.

I don’t know about anyone else, but as I think about that, at first it seems a little daunting to me because I’m never terribly comfortable having to depend on someone else, even God. Yet, I also know that in every case that I have placed my trust in Him, He hasn’t let me down. When I come to this point, I begin to realize that these are three of the most empowering and liberating verses in all of Scripture: How about you?

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Paul is continuing in his defense of his apostolic ministry as we continue in this section. He has been using the metaphor of light and darkness to discuss the presence of God… or the lack of it in the preceding verses, and here he shifts the metaphor slightly, moving from light and dark to jars of clay that contain God’s power. Thus, we humans are the jars of clay, and the power we contain is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

He enters two verses of cadence in which he links difficulties and perseverance to show that in spite of the criticism, trials, and hardship he has faced, he continues faithfully in his mission as the apostle to the Gentiles.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (4:10-12)

At the end of his cadence, he shifts the metaphor again, now with Christ’s death and Christ’s life both being present in his body. This neat little allusion tells us that Christ’s mortality, by which His blood was shed for us, is within Paul; who faces persecution and possible death frequently for his testimony about Jesus. Yet that is combined with the presence of Christ’s indestructible life as well, and so, Paul perseveres in his ministry in spite of all difficulties, for the benefit of those to whom he ministers; in this case, the Corinthians themselves. As a result of Paul’s faithful pursuit of His God-given ministry objectives, the Corinthian believers have received God’s grace, and the gift of eternal life through Christ.

Of course, by extension, so have we.

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. (4:13-15)

He finishes his thought in this paragraph, in which he extends his thinking to its ultimate conclusion: Since the life of Christ is within him, Paul is certain that in the end, though his physical life may be lost, he will rise again just as Jesus did. He will be presented to God along with those countless ones who have received God’s grace because of Paul’s efforts.

All of his problems in this life will have been worth enduring.

Shifting his emphasis in the last verse, he points out that as this process continues, it should be a great source of thanksgiving to the Corinthians. With that, Paul has prepared us for his conclusion… see you next time.

Philippians 2:19-30

In this section, Paul moves back into some personal comments.  He is talking about two other men who are with him, but who are not prisoners, Timothy, and Epaphroditus.  In the first several verses, Paul is telling the Philippians that he is planning to send Timothy back to them so that he can bring more news back to Paul about how the Philippians are doing.  Then comes what is probably the most significant part of the passage from our point of view:

I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

Philippians 2:20-22

Isn’t it interesting that Paul says he has no one else like Timothy, because he will show “genuine concern” for the Philippians?  He explains what he means by that when he says that everyone “looks out for their own interests” and “not those of Jesus Christ.” Think about that for a moment: Wouldn’t you have expected Paul to say ‘not those of others’ instead? “Everyone looks out for their own interests, but not everyone looks out for the interests of others.” That’s what I would expect him to say here, since what came just before this was Paul’s observation that Timothy would have genuine concern for the Philippians. What’s going on here?

Let’s see if we can solve this little riddle.  Paul has been encouraging the Philippians to live lives “worthy of the gospel” and in the process he has discussed unity in the Body of believers, along with service, humility and putting others first.  Now, he cites Timothy as someone who will show the people genuine concern and who will look out for the interests of Christ.  We must conclude from this that showing genuine concern for one another is looking out for the interests of Jesus Christ. Why would we be concerned about others?  Because we want to serve Jesus by looking out for His people.  

This is what Paul is doing by writing this loving letter.  This is what it means to put others first. This is what loving our brothers and sisters is all about, and it results from our love of God.  God loved us; we love Him. God loves our brothers and sisters, so we love them too. Thus, when we love one another and care for one another, we are putting not only the interests of others ahead of our own; we are putting the interests of Jesus Christ first in our lives. This then, is “making disciples”: Caring for others because they are loved by, and important to, our Lord.

Verses 25-30 are mostly about Epaphroditus. We gather from these verses, that he was sent to Paul with the most recent news from Philippi. Apparently, while he was with Paul, he became seriously ill, but has now recovered. You might notice the tender way in which Paul speaks of him, and about Paul’s relief that he has recovered. Now, he would like to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi with Timothy so that they can see how much better he is doing. 

If we look carefully at these verses, what we will see is that Paul is showing genuine concern for both Epaphroditus and for the Philippians; he is looking out for the interests of Jesus Christ, and thus he is giving us another practical example of this teaching.  Pretty cool, don’t you think?

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

As chapter 4 begins, we find ourselves in the midst of a unit of the letter which is a defense of Paul’s apostolic ministry, that began at 2:14 and runs through 7:4. With 4:1, we are entering into the next subsection of this unit and it runs from 4:1 through 5:10 dealing with Paul’s tenacity in spite of his shortcomings.

We begin with Paul drawing another conclusion:

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God (4:1-2)

In chapter 2, Paul made the case that the New Covenant is superior to the Old, and that the Spirit was superior to the Law. Because of these facts, Paul will not lose heart in the face of the opposition he has received in Corinth, or anywhere else. In saying that he has not used “secret and shameful ways” he amplifies and mentions what were apparently the things he was accused of in Corinth: “deception” and distorting the Word of God. Remember, this whole unit is a defense of his ministry, and in these verses, Paul has taken quite an interesting route to come back to those allegations.

This last about speaking the truth openly and commending himself to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God, is rather amazing rhetorically, for it has a dual meaning. First would be something like this: “With all of this in mind, and in the sight of God, do you really think I did anything that I’ve been accused of? Remember, God is watching you!” The other way you could take it would be: “So, you’ve seen everything I’ve had to deal with, and you know I have taken it for the sake of Christ, and why; don’t you think you should do the same?”

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (4:3-4)

Now Paul pours it on. An unbeliever has an excuse for not understanding the situation, for they have been blinded by “the god of this age”. Yet Paul has not written this to unbelievers, he has written it to the church; they have no excuse.

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (4:5-6)

Again, Paul points out that he has never approached his ministry for any kind of gain or status. Instead, he has preached Christ only, and as a servant. As a result of him fulfilling his ministry in their midst, they all have Christ’s light of truth within themselves; they have the very glory of God in their midst, and at this point, it would be hard for anyone to give any credence whatsoever to Paul’s opponents.

We, as our Corinthian brothers and sisters before us, sometimes have people in our midst who seek to tear things down, rather than build things up. Maybe they want to tear down a church leader and start a whispering campaign in the shadows. Maybe they want to distort the gospel to pursue an unsound teaching of the Word of God. Maybe they just like to stir the pot, then stand back and watch the fun…

I used to deal with things like that in teaching when someone would make a comment in class just to start something. I’ve also seen it in the church, and in the blogosphere; yep, some folks think that kind of thing is fun, and if I’m honest, I’d have to admit that when I was a kid, I did too.

We are supposed to grow up at some point, both in maturity and age, and spiritually into mature followers of Christ.

I will add that there are times when a person, perhaps a leader, has said or done something that needs correction, and Scripture is quite clear on how this should be dealt with. None of that guidance includes creating dissention or gossip however, for dissention and gossip are the two most common things in churches that require correction.

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

In the previous paragraph or so, Paul has presented a contrast between the letter, and the Spirit; death, and life, and the Old and the New Covenants, and with this paragraph, he draws a conclusion from that discussion− that is our context.

In drawing his conclusion, Paul uses a metaphor, that of Moses wearing a veil when he came down from the mountain to address the Israelites after his summit meeting with God. The purpose of the veil, as you will recall, was to hide the glory of God that still shone on his countenance so that it would not overwhelm the people who saw it, until it faded away. His next step is to tell them that in a sense, that veil is still there, only not on the face of Moses, but upon their hearts, for it is only through Christ Jesus that we can see God’s glory clearly. Of course, what we see of God’s glory in Christ is not a bright light, at least not in the literal and physical sense.  What we see is His Truth, His salvation; His grace. In seeing this, we come to understand the difference between the letter of the Law, and the life-giving Spirit of Almighty God working in our lives.

That is, if we care to notice.

So often we might want to rely on something more tangible like… rules, regulations… the Law, and as a result, we might well miss the Spirit in our midst. If we’re honest, we’d probably say that we’ve all had that experience.

Yet, we do not need to stay in that place, for thanks be to God, He has set us free from the regulation of Law, from the regulation of worship, and from death and separation from God.

We have the Spirit of the Lord, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, and that dear reader, is glorious indeed.

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

2 Corinthians 3:7-11

With these verses, Paul makes the transition from defending himself, his ministry, his integrity… to proclaiming the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old. As he continues through the rest of chapter 3 and chapter 4, he sounds very much like the author of Hebrews, as so many believe him to be.

He begins with a continuance of his remarks about letters versus the Spirit, moves into letter equating with condemnation and death as opposed to Spirit and life, and ends with letters-condemnation- death: Old Covenant… contrasted with Spirit-life: New Testament… very effectively, I might add. The element that he uses here to tie this all together is glory.

He hearkens back to when Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God noting that God’s glory had permeated him so that he had to wear a veil for a time after that to avoid overwhelming the Israelites, for God’s glory literally shown from his face… for a time. Even so, glorious though that time was, the Law ultimately brought condemnation upon Israel, for none could keep it, even though it was their great pride and glory. Sadly however, the Israelites were every bit as human as we are, and they came to rely upon their own abilities as human beings to keep the Law, while all that God ever really wanted from them was to do their best and trust Him for the rest. Sadly then, the pride of the Israelites became their undoing, and when God fulfilled His promise of redemption, they came, for the most part, to reject His Son.

Contrast that sad story with the transcendent glory of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. By God’s grace we are saved not only from our sins, but from death itself, for in Christ we have inherited eternal life. We have the Holy Spirit within us, and if we will only allow Him, He will work in our lives, and through us to work in the lives of those around us to build His Kingdom. The result of this is really obvious: In days of old, the people believed that the Law was glorious, and so it was. Yet now in Christ God’s glory has so surpassed the Old that the Old has simply withered away.

That is glory indeed!

With this foundation, Paul proceeded to build on this theme in the verses that follow…