Continuing in 2 Corinthians 4, after learning in the past couple of articles about how “jars of clay” can hold great treasure, holding up even under duress (with God’s help), the next few verses seem to be a continuation of the previous examples. So, let’s look for more cases where things are done to us, but God continues to get us through.
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.
2 Corinthians 4:10-12 NIV
When followers of Jesus are persecuted (which Jesus also was), the fact that God sustains us provides a testimony that it’s clearly not us holding strong under the barrage of hits that the world doles out. Instead, for the Christian who is able to persevere under trial, it’s not about their personal mental fortitude or physical toughness, but rather about God supporting them and keeping them intact through suffering that would absolutely destroy us without His help. Even oppression that kills our mortal body speeds our arrival to a new, eternal body, and the faithful life of a martyr can lead to new life for those who hear and respond to the message about Jesus.
And, in the end, this testimony shows other people that there is something beyond individual human strength: there is Someone beyond the scope of the material universe who offers more than this physical world can deliver. Once they see this, the hope is that others will listen to the truth about this Savior, and accept His offer to walk with them, as well. After all, trials aren’t limited to those who follow Jesus, only a special kind of access to His power to get through them.
In 2 Corinthians 4:13-15, Paul reinforces his previous point, as well as what is mentioned elsewhere in this letter. He knows that God is faithful. Just as God’s raising of Jesus from the dead was a tangible testimony from God that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, Paul knows that God will testify again that He has adopted Paul into His family, and that they will spend eternity together.
This is in contrast to “losing heart” (whether becoming discouraged, giving up on the perseverance that is required, or a combination of the two), as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:1.
However, Paul doesn’t just want to be with God all by himself. He wants others, including the Corinthian Christians, to spend forever with God as part of God’s family.
And, the more people who know Jesus and experience these blessings, the more thanks can be given to God, further glorifying Him. Once again, Paul is not seeking glory to himself, but rather the bringing of glory to God.
Even with knowing the teachings from this letter to the Corinthians, I don’t expect things to hurt less on this earth, but I do hope that you will allow – and even invite – God to help you through the pain, and then give Him the glory for that. I also pray that you find hope in knowing what awaits us as we persevere to the end.
In the Lookout (cited below), David Faust asked the question, “How do you make disciples for Christ in a postmodern culture dominated by secularism, materialism, and cynicism toward traditional religion?” Dr. Faust wrote an excellent article, but if I could suggest an answer of my own, I propose that Paul’s answer to this question – Paul’s solution to make disciples of Jesus Christ in a secular, material world – is to show them that there is something beyond what they know. We do so by boasting about our weakness and showing lost people that we can only get through our sufferings by the grace and hand of God, who transcends this material world and puts our lives on this earth into perspective.
Whether your answer to Dr. Faust’s question is the same as mine or different, his question is something to think about.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for May 12, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, May 12, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 2 Corinthians, by William R. Baker. © 1999 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 