2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Cast Down but Unconquered
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
Seeing the Invisible
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
We are jars of fired clay, refined mud vessels of God’s dust of this earth molded on the Potter’s wheel created by His power and made to last through trials. These fragile clay vessels remind us that all power to sustain us comes from the Almighty and not from ourselves as we realize that such earthen vessels can be easily damaged or destroyed unless kept by the power of God in Christ Jesus. Paul therefore reminds us all that the treasure of Christ within us is solely a display of God’s omnipotence and not something we work up to battle with. When pressing circumstances or overwhelming confusion confront us, we can confidently look to Him with reliance and trust to keep from being crushed under the weight of circumstance as we are assured that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We have hope to overcome all despair when seemingly destitute in circumstances thrown our way. If we are struck down, we know that we are not destroyed because His perfect love (1 John 4:18) keeps us from eternal torment no matter how we fail Him. Why? Because we have been crucified with the Christ (Galatians 2:20) who suffered far worse at the hands of sinners and who suffer to the death of cursing on that tree we call the cross I utter agony and seemingly forsaken by God (Psalm 22:1) so we do not have to be. We live in that reality of the crucified Christ as we die daily to ourselves (Matthew 16:24, 1 Corinthians 15:31, Galatians 6:14) and live for Him in His power so that we might also be on display with the life of Jesus shining through us in all adversity. This dying to self as crucified with Christ is the witness to this world of the effectual work of our Lord in and through us to them. We, like the apostle here, can confidently echo the truth that we believe by God-given faith to take Him at His word for salvation with the certainty of the resurrection of our bodies at the end of time just as our souls have already experienced. This grace in us spreads to those around us that many others can give unending thanks to God for this wonderful work of reconciliation to make us His own children! Because of these certain promises we can endure all things without losing heart in great tribulation as we understand we are being sanctified through the fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12-13) we endure for His glory, honor, and praise. These pressing times are but a blink of an eye in eternity when put in Gods perspective. Our old man is being cleansed as by fire to cure these vessels of clay in our Master’s hand and we can then see that the suffering is momentary and effective in molding us into the image of Christ’s glory as He also was perfected through suffering (Hebrews 5:8-9, 10:14) for us. We are told to stop looking at the circumstances and suffering that we might focus on the eternal work in us instead, things which last as new vessels will be provided in the resurrection of life with incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Peter 1:4) away from the presence of corrupting sin that breaks down clay and into His presence with everlasting glory. In Christ we are invincible!
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