2 Coríntios 4
Ray Stedman · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 4:1-2
Stedman - I am always amazed at how up-to-date the Scriptures seem. You would think that Paul had just been listening to some Christian radio broadcasts, or television programs, when he wrote this. Evidently there were people in his day, preaching in churches and evangelizing, who were practicing disgraceful, underhanded ways. They were relying on cunning approaches and even tampering withthe Word of God. Paul says, "I have given all that up," (if he ever did it). "Seeing other people do this, I want nothing to do with it." . . . Notice particularly what this consists of, because this speaks to our own time. First, he says, "I have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways," that is, the practice of deliberate deceit. . . Paul says he refuses to practice cunning. Now what does that mean? Well, it means to rely on some psychological trick played on people to get them to respond, some intense pressure tactic in a meeting, perhaps beautiful seductive music to get them to give way, telling stories that bring tears to people's eyes, playing upon their emotions, this kind of thing. Paul says, 'We don't need any of this any longer. We don't rely upon that." In our day it is largely a matter of going in for Christian showmanship, seeing who can put on the biggest spectacle to attract people to come in by hiring a special band or getting trapeze artists to come and put on a show, etc., Paul says we do not rely on those kinds of things anymore. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6 Nothing But the Truth) Not walking in - Not living, not behaving, not conducting oneself. Walking is in the present tense implying the false teachers were continually walking in craftiness, etc. The preposition "in" (en) means in the sphere of (it's like a fish in a fish bowl - he lives in the sphere of the water that fish bowl - see locative of sphere). Wuest translates it as Paul saying we are "not ordering the manner of our lives in the sphere of craftiness", as were the false teachers. UBS Handbook "To walk” is an Old Testament expression that means “to conduct oneself” or “to behave in a certain manner.” (Ibid) Kent
2 Coríntios 4:3-4
Stedman - So what hope is there that anybody who has been blinded by the devil will ever believe the good news? It looks hopeless, doesn't it? If a veil lies over their minds, and if, as we have already seen in the previous passage, only when someone turns to the Lord is the veil removed -- yet, in order to turn, men must see the glory of Christ that the veil obscures -- what hope is there? It is very evident from this that men cannot remove the veil themselves. Only Christ can take it away. How then can men be saved? That is the question Paul is facing. So that they might not see - Figurative use of "see". Refers to inability to see spiritual truths (cp 1Co 2:14). Their inability to see is a divine judgment given to them because they refused to believe. God in a sense turned them over to Satan who was given the power to blind their spiritual vision. This is a horrible consequence of willful, intransigent (unwilling to change one's views, obstinately maintaining an attitude of) unbelief. When even brilliant intellectuals are unable to understand and accept the easy-to-understand gospel of Christ (that even a child can comprehend - Mt 18:2, 3 Mk 10:14, 15 Lk 18:16, 17 ~ all speak of the the unquestioning trust of a little child), especially His works of creation and redemption, it is because their spiritual eyes (their mind, their heart) have been blinded and they are unable to behold the glory of Christ in the radiant light of the Gospel. But we can (and should) always intercede with our Father for their souls asking Him to send His Spirit "to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18) (See Pastor Hughes' encouraging example) John Calvin said that...the blindness of unbelievers in no way detracts from the clearness of the Gospel, for the sun is no less resplendent because the blind do not perceive it. (2 Corinthians 4) See (826) (augazo from auge = dawn [in Ac 20:11]) transitively means to see distinctly, to discern, to view in the clearest light and then to understand. Intransitively augazo means to shine forth (Lev 13:24, 25, 26, Lv 14:56 24:25). Augazo was used by Euripides of the sun meaning to beam upon or to illumine (One could imagine a play on words here with the Son beaming upon, illumining receptive souls). Hodge observes that augazo "signifies the brightness emitted by a radiant body." TDNT says...means a. “to shine forth,” b. “to illuminate,” and c. “to see.” In 2 Cor. 4:4 b. is impossible, and while older translations (See KJV in list of translations above) and variants favor a., the parallel in 2Co 3:13 strongly supports c. (“that they should not see”). Augazo - Only here in the NT. Seven times in seven verses in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - Lev 13:24, 25, 26 28, 38, 39; 14:56 The light (5462) (photismos from photizo from phos = light <> from phao = to shine) the giving of light, illumination in the physical sense. Figuratively, it describes an enlightenment, something made fully known by revealing clearly and in detail, in this passage referring to that which has been revealed as true -- the spiritual illumination in the Gospel. In 2Co 4:6-+ photismos describes the bringing to light or a revealing (revelation). Photismos - Only 2x in NT - 2Co 4:4,6. Six times in 6 verses in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - Job 3:9; Ps 27:1; 44:3; 78:14; 90:8; 139:11. Psalm 27:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light (Lxx = photismos) and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
2 Coríntios 4:5-6
Stedman - If you want to know where we fit in, here it is: we are your servants for Jesus' sake. We are not your masters; we do not own you; we are not your bosses; we do not come to tell you everything to do and give you orders and be a little pope in every church we come into. No, we are your servants. We have come to help you. We have come to minister to you, to labor among you, to teach and instruct you, but we are not here to boss you." The apostle is careful to make that plain. Tasker - All the service Paul (and every true Christian missionary and pastor) renders to his converts is not done primarily for their sakes. He has a more compelling love and a more overriding loyalty. He is their servant, because first and foremost he is the servant of Jesus Christ, by whose love he is constrained, and the promotion of whose glory is his passionate desire. Lord (master, owner)(2962)(kurios from kuros = might or power) describes one who is supreme (highest in rank, order and authority), who is sovereign (in absolute control) and who possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and absolute power. Is this not an excellent description of Christ Jesus? Broomall - The supreme Lordship of Christ was central in apostolic preaching (cf. the same construction as here in the ASV translation of Rom 10:9; Phil 2:11). (Wycliffe Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 4) Kurios also describes one to whom a person or thing belongs and over which he has the power of deciding to men or property. Thus Kurios includes the following ideas... as the owner of the vineyard (Mt 20:8; 21:40; Mk 12:9; Lk 20:13, 15) as the Lord of the harvest (Mt. 9:38; Lk 10:2) as the master of the house (Mk 13:35, cp Lxx - Jdg 19:12) as Lord of the Sabbath (Mt 12:8; Mk 2:28; Lk 6:5) - as having the power to determine what is suitable to the Sabbath and of releasing Himself and others from its obligation. In Biblical terms Christ Jesus is every believer's Lord for as Paul wrote in the first letter... Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and that you are not (absolute negation) your own. (And went on to explain why believers are no longer their "own") For you have been bought with a price (His precious blood [1Pe 1:18, 19-+] has redeemed us from enslavement to Sin [Ro 6:11-+, Ro 6:18-+], the Law [Ro 6:14-+, Ro 7:4-+, Ro 7:6-+], the Devil [He 2:14, 15-+] and the evil world system [Gal 6:14-+], setting us free [Jn 8:32, 36] to be His own permanent possession - Titus 2:14-+): therefore (Since we are not our own but His what are we to do?) glorify [aorist imperative = Do this now! Do it effectively! Just do it!] God in your body (His Temple! cp Ro 12:1-+). (1Co 6:19-+ , 1Co 6:20-+) Wayne Barber offers this note of encouragement regarding Jesus as Lord - When you refer to Jesus as Lord, you’re not just referring to the position He holds, but you’re referring to the compassion He feels for the people whom He oversees. Whatever He does in the authoritative position that God has put Him in is for our good. Tony Garland (in his comment on Re 1:18-+) writes that "Designating someone as “Lord,” especially in John’s day, could have serious implications. It was a title which Christians did not use lightly. (Quoting from Harold Foos "Christology in the Book of the Revelation"
2 Coríntios 4:7-9
Stedman commenting on 2Ti 4:16 writes that this is "rather a sad note. When the apostle was brought up for his hearing -- we would call it the arraignment of the charges against him -- no one stood up for him; all forsook him. This was a very dangerous time in Rome. The Emperor Nero was noted for his vindictiveness. If anybody even appeared to be against him, Nero's assassins were all throughout the city, ready to take the man's life. Evidently no Christian was ready to risk his life by standing up for Paul, so he had to face this preliminary hearing all alone. But notice again Paul's lack of vindictiveness. "May it not be charged against them," he says; and he prays for those who forsook him in the hour of danger. (2 Timothy 4) THOUGHT - Have you ever felt like you were being chased or hunted down because of your ministry or having taken a stand for Christ? Paul is saying yes, they have chased after me, but I have never been abandoned or left behind (forsaken). When you stand for Christ, everything that stands against Him will come against (persecute) you! And yet in Him, in His grace and power, you can stand. (Play Kristian Stanfill - The Stand) Persecuted (1377) (dioko from dío = to pursue, prosecute, persecute) means to follow or press hard after, literally to pursue as one does a fleeing enemy - to chase, harass, vex and pressure. It was used to describe chasing down criminals. Dioko speaks of an intensity of effort leading the pursuer to pursue with earnestness and diligence with the desire of obtaining. It gives us the picture of hounds on a hunt aggressively pursuing after the fox (Cp related verb katadioko = pursued closely, tracked down - used in Lxx of 1Sa 26:20 "as one hunts a partridge"). Persecute - 30/45 NT uses convey the sense of the intention of doing harm. To hunt down like an animal. To run swiftly after something. To in any way whatever, to harass, trouble, molest. To carry out physical persecution, to harass, to abuse, to treat unjustly. The Scripture repeatedly uses dioko in the life and ministry of Paul.... Acts 9:4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, Comment: Paul's persecution of believers was equivalent (in God's eyes) to persecution of Jesus because He was in covenant with them and thus identified fully with them. When they were persecuted, He was persecuted. Note how this fact is repeated in the passages below from Acts. Clearly this is a truth God wants believers to be know and believe, especially when they are being persecuted for His sake! Acts 22:4 "I persecuted this Way (Acts 9:2, 18:25, 26, 19:9, 23, 24:14, 22) to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, Acts 22:7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' 8 "And I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.' Acts 26:11 "And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities. Acts 26:14 "And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15 "And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; Galatians 1:23 but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy." Galatians 5:11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. Philippians 3:6+ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. 1 Corinthians 4:12+ and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 1 Corinthians 14:1+ Pursue (present imperative - the direction of your life. Chase after Christ-like agape love with intensity) love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Corinthians 15:9+ For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Forsaken (1459) (egkataleipo from en = in + kataleipo = forsake, desert) means literally to leave down in. It conveys the sense of deserting someone in a set of circumstances that are against him. The idea is to let one down, to desert, abandon, leave in the lurch, leave one helpless. In Romans 9:39 the verb means to cause to remain or to exist after a point in time. The meaning of the word is that of forsaking someone in a state of defeat or helplessness in the midst of hostile circumstances. In some of the last words of Paul he wrote "2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them."Paul knew as the Lord's chosen instrument, he would never be abandoned by God. He was clearly a student of the Old Testament and would have been aware of the numerous OT declarations by God that He would not forsake or abandon His people - Ge 28:15; Deut. 31:6, 8; 1Chr 28:20; Ps 16:10; 37:25, 28. Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 4:31 KNOCKED DOWN BUT NOT KNOCKED OUT! (Present tense - continually) Struck down (kataballo), but not destroyed (apollumi) - Amplified - "we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;" TLB = "We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going."
2 Coríntios 4:17
Stedman has an interesting thought on the phrase "eternal weight of glory" noting that "The trials were creating the glory! Perhaps this throws some light upon a strange statement which Jesus made to his disciples in the upper room. In saying that he was going away, he added, "I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2KJV). This cryptic statement seems to suggest that heaven was not yet ready and needed some additional work before any guests arrived! But if we link it with the further explanation which Jesus gave them ("but if I go, I will send him [the Holy Spirit] to you," John 16:7), we have the strong suggestion that his way of preparing a place for them was to send the Holy Spirit to them. The Spirit, when he came, would give them the power to handle the pressures and pains of life ("hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; … struck down, but not destroyed") and in the mystery of redemption, transmute each trial into a corresponding glory. Thus, the trials were preparing the glory; the hardships were preparing "the place" for them. Jesus was doing it by means of the Spirit (Authentic Christianity) Charles Haddon Spurgeon on trials and afflictions (multiple quotes) - A true Christian's losses are gains in another shape… I am afraid that all the grace that I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable. What do I not owe to the crucible and the furnace, the bellows that have blown up the coals, and the hand which has thrust me into the heat?… I am sure I have derived more real benefit and permanent strength and growth in grace, and every precious thing, from the furnace of affliction, than I have ever derived from prosperity… I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had have turned out to be my best days… I can bear my personal testimony that the best piece of furniture that I ever had in the house was a cross. I do not mean a material cross; I mean the cross of affliction and trouble… I owe more than I can tell to the graver's tool, and I feel the lines of its cutting even now… In shunning a trial we are seeking to avoid a blessing… None of us can come to the highest maturity without enduring the summer heat of trials… On some few occasions I have had troubles which I could not tell to any but my God, and I thank God I have, for I learned more of my Lord then that at any other time… Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will. They are the dark chariots of bright grace… Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the top of a mountain. So are many things learned in adversity which the prosperous man dreams not of… The anvil, the fire and the hammer are the making of us… The Christian gains by his losses. He acquires health by his sickness. He wins friends through his bereavements, and he becomes a conqueror through his defeats… There are some of your graces which would never be discovered if it were not for your trials… There is nothing that makes a man have a big heart like a great trial… We find no sword-blades so true in metal as those which have been forged in the furnace of soul-trouble. (The Complete Gathered Gold A Treasury of Quotations for Christians by John Blanchard) Jeremy Taylor - We are safer in the storm God sends us than in a calm when we are befriended by the world. Abraham Wright was right when he said - What fools we are, then, to frown upon our afflictions! These, how crabbed so ever, are our best friends. They are not intended for our pleasure, they are for our profit. Thomas Watson - The wisdom of God is seen in making the most desperate evils, work to the good of His children. As several poisonous ingredients, wisely tempered by the skill of the apothecary, make a sovereign medicine—so God makes the most deadly afflictions work together for the good of His children. He uses severe afflictions to purify them, and prepare them for heaven. These hard frosts hasten the spring flowers of glory! The wise God, by a divine chemistry, turns our afflictions into cordials. He makes His people gainers by losses; and turns their crosses into blessings! (Body of Divinity) More of Watson on Affliction - Affliction is God's flail to thresh off our husks… Christians are commonly best in affliction… Is it any injustice in God to put his gold into the furnace to purify it?… The whale that swallowed Jonah was the means of bringing him safe to land… Jonah was sent into the whale's belly to make his sermon for Nineveh… The eyes that sin shuts affliction opens… There is more evil in a drop of sin than in a sea of affliction… When God lays men on their backs, then they look up to heaven. Halley's Bible Handbook summarizes Paul's afflictions under the title of…PAUL’S LIVING MARTYRDOM In this letter Paul speaks much of his sufferings, especially in chapters 4, 6, and 11. At his conversion the Lord had said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). The sufferings began immediately and continued in unbroken succession for over 30 years: • They plotted to kill him in Damascus (Acts 9:24) and again in Jerusalem (Acts 9:29). • They drove him out of Antioch (Acts 13:50). • They attempted to stone him in Iconium (Acts 14:5). • They did stone him and left him for dead in Lystra (Acts 14:19). • In Philippi they beat him with rods and put him in stocks (Acts 16:23, 24) • In Thessalonica the Jews and the rabble tried to mob him (Acts 17:5). • They drove him out of Berea (Acts 17:13, 14). • They plotted against him in Corinth (Acts 18:12). • In Ephesus they almost killed him (Acts 19:29; 2Co 1:8, 9). • In Corinth, shortly after he had written this epistle, they again plotted his death (Acts 20:3). • In Jerusalem they again would have made a quick end of him if he had not been rescued by the Roman soldiers (Acts 22). • He was imprisoned in Caesarea for two years, and for two more years in Rome. • Besides all this, there were unrecorded beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, and endless deprivations of every kind (2 Corinthians 11:23, 25, 26, 27). • Finally, he was taken to Rome to be executed as a criminal (2Ti 2:9). Paul must have had amazing endurance, for he sang as he suffered (Acts 16:25). Nothing but an iron constitution could have lived through it all—and even that would not have been sufficient apart from the marvelous grace of God. By the Lord’s help, Paul must have felt himself immortal until his work was done. (Halley's Bible Handbook) Charles Haddon