Chapter Four
2 Cor. 4:1. Having therefore this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart,
Since he expressed many great things, saying that we, the apostles, are above Moses (for if all are above, then all the more so they), he tempers his word and says: all this belongs to God. For we are only ministers, and the fact that we have been appointed as ministers is not ours either, but, he says, this too belongs to the mercy of God. The words "therefore we do not lose heart" refer to both, that is, since we have been deemed worthy of such great blessings, we do not shrink from danger and sorrows, because, having once been shown mercy, we were appointed to the ministry.
2 Cor. 4:2. But, having renounced the hidden things of shame, not resorting to craftiness,
He points to the false apostles, who were pretending in everything. They took gifts and presented themselves as unbelievers; they appeared holy, but were impure. We, however, he says, have renounced such deeds which, when exposed, cover the one who does them with shame, that is, such deeds as are performed hypocritically. For he adds: "not resorting to cunning," so that what is done with craftiness is precisely what brings shame. However, if you understand this as referring to shameful deeds, there will be nothing new in that, for this too is characteristic of the false apostles.
2 Cor. 4:2. and not corrupting the word of God,
Not only, he says, is our life simple, pure, and free from lawlessness, but in our teaching and in our word there is no deceit either. For we mix nothing into them from worldly wisdom or anything flattering, we do not collect money from preaching, and we do not say one thing today and another tomorrow, adapting to times and persons, as the false apostles do.
2 Cor. 4:2. But by manifesting the truth, we commend ourselves to every man's conscience before God.
The false apostles present themselves outwardly and for appearance, and seem to be other than what they actually are. But I present myself "by manifesting the truth," that is, I use the very deeds themselves as testimony. Thus, I say that I take nothing, and I have you as witnesses of this; and I act the same way in everything else. This is how I present myself to all people, believers and unbelievers alike, that is, by laying open my life and preaching openly to all, so that everyone can understand. And since people can be deceived, he adds: "before God," Whom the false apostles do not take as witness.
2 Cor. 4:3. But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
Having said above that although a veil lies upon the Israelites, we believers look with uncovered face, he now says that if the Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to unbelievers. For what was the case then with the Jews regarding Moses, the same thing now happens with unbelievers regarding the Gospel. But they themselves are to blame for this, not the Gospel, for if they had believed, they would have seen the glory of God without a veil.
2 Cor. 4:4. For the unbelieving, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ might not shine upon them,
Among those who are perishing, he says, who are many and various, are also the unbelievers. It is they whose "the god of this age has blinded the minds." The Marcionites assert that this is said about the demiurge, whom they call just (see St. John Chrysostom, Homily 8), but not good, while the Manichaeans refer this to the devil, whom they also call the creator of the world. But neither the one nor the other is correct; rather, this is said about our God. And if He is called the God of this age, there is nothing new in that, for He is also called the God of heaven, although He is not God of it alone; He is also called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, although He is God not of them alone, but of all. What is strange, then, if Paul also fittingly called Him here the God of this age, in order to better show the unbelievers that He created even this visible world, while enjoying which they reject the Creator? This passage can also be explained thus: that God blinded the minds of the unbelievers of this age, for in the age to come there are no unbelievers. What then does "blinded" mean? It means that He permitted them to be blind, just as He also "gave them over to a debased mind" (Rom. 1:28). For after they fell away from Him, He left them to themselves, abandoned them, because He does not compel anyone to salvation. Note, however, that he did not say He blinded them so that they would not believe, but so that unworthy eyes would not see the radiance of Christ's glory. And the radiance consists in believing that He was crucified, ascended, and will grant us future blessings. Just as one with diseased eyes is not allowed to see the rays of the sun lest they be harmed, so too they became unbelievers of their own accord. And when they became such, God hid from them the rays of the glory of the Gospel, as from the Israelites the face of Moses. So He also commanded us "not to cast pearls before swine" (Matt. 7:6). He beautifully said "to shine," for now we have a moderate light, and not full illumination, which above he called a fragrance and a pledge, showing that there is something greater.
2 Cor. 4:4. Which is the image of the invisible God.
Here he shows that they do not know not only the glory of Christ, but also the glory of the Father. For if Christ is the image of the Father, then he who does not see Christ does not know the Father either.
2 Cor. 4:5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord; and ourselves as your servants for Jesus,
Above he said that we "do not resort to cunning," then he added about the unbelievers, how they were covered. Now he says: we do not deceive, for we preach not ourselves, as the false apostles do. For they urged their disciples to call themselves by their names, as he also showed in the first epistle: "I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas" (1 Cor. 1:12). Otherwise: do not think, you who attack us, that you are attacking us, for we preach not ourselves but Christ; therefore you are rising up against the One we preach. We so far from preach ourselves that we do not refuse to be even your servants for Christ's sake, that is, because He so loved us and did everything for us.
2 Cor. 4:6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Why, he says, do we not preach ourselves? Because God has shone in our hearts, as in ancient times upon the face of Moses, so now upon us. As at the first creation He spoke, and light appeared out of darkness, so now too He spoke, and light appeared. However, He Himself became light for us, for He shone for us "in the face of Christ," that is, through Christ, because the Father shines in us through Christ and gives "illumination by the knowledge," not of His essence, but of His glory. Notice, here too Paul has theology concerning the Trinity. For concerning the Spirit he says, "beholding the glory of the Lord," for the Spirit is the Lord; concerning the Son: "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ," and now concerning the Father: "to illuminate us with the knowledge of His glory."
2 Cor. 4:7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
Since he said much that was great and lofty about the ineffable glory, lest anyone should say: how then shall we, having received such blessings as you describe, remain in a mortal body? – he says: the earthen vessel contains such treasures by the power of God.
2 Cor. 4:7. That the exceeding greatness of the power may be attributed to God, and not to us.
That the exceeding power manifested in us might be of God, and that no one might think we accomplish anything of ourselves, but that all who see might say that all this is of God. He hints at the false apostles, who attributed everything to themselves.
2 Cor. 4:8. We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed,
To such a degree, he says, everything is a matter of God's power, that although we are earthen vessels and are subjected to so many and such varied trials, we are nevertheless not shattered and do not lose the treasure that is within us. For we are afflicted at all times, in every place, and in every matter, among friends, among enemies, "but not crushed," because God enlarges our hearts.