SIMPLICITY (2 Corinthians Chapter 11)

2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

Represented to us, is this beautiful phrase, “a sincere and pure devotion to Christ,” is a statement of divine objective for every born-again child of God.  Inscribe it above your “mind-gate” as that which should govern your innermost longings and aspirations.  Count the matter to be a treasured aspiration which is to be protected and defended at all costs.  Take note that there are forces (i.e. the world, the flesh, and the devil) ever-working to deceive and lead one astray from it.

Paul was concerned for members of the church in Corinth.  He loved them and was constantly concerned for their spiritual well-being (Cf. 2 Corinthians 11:28).  His goal in ministry was to “present (the church) as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2; Cf. Colossians 1:28).  He labored in ministry towards that end (Cf. Colossians 1:29).  But false teachers had infiltrated the church in Corinth and some were being led astray by them.  The deceptively introduced false teachings which spoke of “another Jesus,” “a different gospel,” and “a different spirit” than that of which Paul had taught (Cf. 2 Corinthians 11:4).  Tragically, some had readily accepted these teachings. 

The phrase, “a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” is translated more simply “the simplicity that is in Christ” in the King James Version.  The word “simplicity” translates a Greek term meaning “simplicity, sincerity, unaffectedness” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary).  According to Webster’s Dictionary, simplicity means, amongst other things, “freedom from pretense or guile.”  Paul’s fear was that his readers might be somehow moved from their sincere devotion to Jesus.

John MacArthur has said, “The Christian life is simple.  It is loving Jesus Christ supremely and only as Savior and Lord.”  Christianity is rightly defined as being rightly related to Jesus Christ.  But it involves more than simply knowing of Him or knowing about Him as one might know of the details of some historical figure.  It is knowing Him by way of personal relationship and experience.  It involves more than simply giving Jesus in a place in one’s life (as one might add a hobby) and even more than having Him in a prominent place (as one thing amongst many to which a greater degree of devotion is rendered), it is loving Him preeminently (as the unrivaled object of one’s affection).

It is not a simple thing to simplify, but there is a need for it.  Forces are at work to complicate our lives with lesser concerns that compete against what should matter most to us.  Deceptive forces tirelessly work to cloud minds with contrary thoughts and pursuits (Cf. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  “A sincere and pure devotion to Christ” is the object of the Spirit’s work in us (Cf. John 16:13-15; Philippians 3:3).  It is the Spirit of God who applies the Word of God to our hearts always directing us to the glory of the person of Jesus Christ. 

There are some great examples in Scripture of those who possessed “a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”  Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” while Martha “was distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:39-40).  Jesus responded to Martha’s request for help by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).  Paul’s testimony was one of single-mindedness of heart and purpose: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”…”but one thing I do” (Philippians 3:8, 13).  The early church was Spirit-born into a single-minded devotion to Christ which was characterized by devotion to His Word and His people (Cf. Acts 2:42).  In fellowship they experienced both mutual encouragement and some degree of spiritual protection.  Simply put, there is nothing more important in life than knowing Jesus Christ and no greater aspiration that we can possess than to know Him better as the preeminent object of our affection.  Paul yearned for that for his readers.  God has the same simple goal for all of us.

THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE (2 Corinthians Chapter 10)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

Chapters 10 through 13 of this epistle have to do with Paul’s direct response to his opponents who were working to undermine him in his God-given apostolic ministry.  They had criticized him for his supposed weakness, saying, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (2 Corinthians 10:10).  The Corinthians were, as a rule, impressed with skilled orators, but Paul did not come to them “with lofty speech or wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:1).  He came instead in the meekness of Christ bearing the message of Christ (Cf. 2 Corinthians 10:1; 1 Corinthians 2:2).  Paul’s opponents supposed Paul to be weak, but he was a warrior and possessed the very best of arsenals.

The text presupposes the existence of a war.  The war spoken of is not of typical variety that go on from time to time in this world, but the spiritual war that has been ongoing since the Adversary first left his appointed place in heaven.  In his great deception he worked to bring the sons of Adam into state of rebellion against their creator.  A long war against God has been raging ever since.  The world, the flesh, and the devil are antagonistic towards God.  No person on earth can avoid the ongoing conflict.

Though delivered from sin’s penalty and power, the believer still wrestles with a foe.  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).  There is a “good fight” to “fight” (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7), but it will do no good to fight in our own strength with weapons of the flesh.  We must “put on the whole armor of God” (Cf. Ephesians 6:11).  The Word of God (i.e. truth) is essential to each element of the armor.

It is foolhardy to fight the good fight with inadequate weapons.  When Jesus was arrested Peter drew his sword and cut of the ear of the servant of the High Priest.  He was boldly prepared to take on all of Jesus’ opponents with his sword, one ear at a time (Cf. Matthew 26:51).  Peter’s weaponry was useless in the spiritual conflict that was raging on.  Jesus met the conflict with devotion to prayer and complete submission to the Word.  While Jesus prayed, Peter slept (Cf. Matthew 26:40).  And Peter was not then comprehending the truth.  My friend has compared the attempt to fight with fleshly weapons to engaging the foe with a small plastic cocktail sword (you know the 3 inch kind they stab olives with) and a police badge sized shield.  As Jesus said, “the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

The battlefield is the mind and the battle is a fight for truth.  It was in departure from truth that Satan won his strategic advantage over man, and it is in truth that victory over him is availed.  The gospel of truth works to gain a positional triumph for the believer, but that’s not the end point of the conflict.  There is the need for the renewing of the mind and that is something that the truth alone can do (Cf. Romans 12:2).  There are thoughts (“strongholds,” “arguments,” every lofty opinion”) contrary to Christ.  Such deceptions prevail in the lives of the lost and linger on in the lives of the saved.  These contrary thoughts “are raised up against the knowledge of God,” and must be taken “captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5; Cf. Philippians 4:8).  They are renegades which work to undermine spiritual health and well-being.  How are they to be identified, marked, and destroyed?

The Word of God has “divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3).  Prayer is likewise a powerful weapon.  Having been graciously provisioned (Cf. 2 Peter 1:3), they are in the arsenal of every Christian soldier.  They are what can make us “strong and brave to face the foe.”  We neglect the careful use of them to our own peril.  But in taking up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and keeping “alert with all perseverance in prayer” we have divinely powerful weapons with which to fight (Cf. 1 John 2:14b).

WEBALE NYO (2 Corinthians Chapter 9)

2 Corinthians 9:10-13, “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.  For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.  By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others.”

The context of this passage is the appeal from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth to participate in the relief efforts for the church in Jerusalem.  Paul responded to that need by going to various churches and asking for their help.  Chapters 8 and 9 of this epistle have to do with this matter.

This text has gained a special place in my heart through our involvement in the ministry of Hope and Mercy Mission to our Christian brethren in the Masaka Region of Uganda.  Much help has been given by many and over the course of recent years the effort has grown to encompass over 100 pastors and village churches.  But the missionary effort is about more than just meeting needs, it is the activity of worship.

Underlying the gifts of God’s people in the meeting of needs is the source of those gifts, God Himself.  It is He who gladly supplies “seed to the sower and bread for food” (2 Corinthians 9:10).  He loves a “cheerful giver” because He gladly gives (Cf. 2 Corinthians 9:7).  All that we possess—life, salvation, daily provision, and gifts to pass on—is sourced in Him (Cf. James 1:17).

His greatest gift to us is His own Son (Cf. 2 Corinthians 9:15; John 3:16).  By this “inexpressible gift” we are saved.  But the gift of salvation is also transformative for by it selfish sinners are transformed into selfless saints.  The born again are taught by God to love the brethren (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:9) and to understand that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).  There are a lot of people who give and do good things.  Humanitarian causes abound in our world.  And many give making no acknowledgement of Christ or His gospel.  But to give in Christ’s name—that’s a glorious thing!  To give “because of (one’s) submission that comes from (one’s) confession of the gospel of Christ” elevates giving to a higher plane and greater cause.  Those who give in Christ’s name understand that they are but conduits of grace in the cause of Christ.  They give according to God’s abundant provision to a cause, in the furtherance of the gospel, of eternal benefit.

Giving in Christ’s name is the activity of worship.  It both constitutes and engenders it.  The phrase “thanksgiving(s) to God” appears twice in this passage.  That’s the end result of this kind of Christ-like giving.  The giving itself constitutes an act of worship, but worship is there on the receiving end also.  The recipients recognize and acknowledge the source and thank Him for it.  Put simply, worship is acknowledging God for who He is and what He does in what we say and what we do (Cf. Hebrews 13:15-16).  The God who gladly gives—and who has given in His own Son an “immeasurable gift”—works through His children to provide.  That spirit of giving--in Christ’s name and by God’s grace—can be readily traced back to its source.  And He is praised and thanked for it.

 “Webale nyo” is the Lugandan phrase for “thank you very much.”  It is an expression we’ve heard countless times in our visits to Uganda.  In saying it, our Ugandan brethren were not just thanking us, they were thanking God.  We’ve heard it expressed to our teams throughout the conferences that we’ve been privileged by God to be a part of.  We’ve heard it expressed from pulpits and from ordinary folks both young and old.  With hearts overflowing with gratitude the people praise and thank God for HIs provision of all the various things that He has worked to provide through HIs people.  They say it all the time and struggle to find words to express the depth of their appreciation. 

Of course you don’t have to go to Uganda to give.  And you don’t have to be there to thank God for His provision.  Opportunities to worship—be it by giving or thanking—abound all around.  “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” for through that gift He has worked to transform rebels into worshippers (i.e. “givers” and “thankers”).  Around this world, in a plethora of languages, the great choir of God’s redeemed children ongoingly express their thanksgivings to Him.  It is but a foretaste of heaven, where people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” will sing a song of praise and “webale nyo” to God (Cf. Revelation 5:9-14).

BEGGING TO GIVE (2 Corinthians Chapter 8)

2 Corinthians 8:1-5, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches in Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.  For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—and this not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”

The context of this passage is the appeal from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth to participate in the relief efforts for the church in Jerusalem (Cf. 2 Corinthians 8:7).  A number of factors led to their impoverished condition.  Some were ostracized from their jobs and families for their faith.  A famine aggravated the situation.  The people were heavily taxed.  Paul responded by going to various churches and asking for their help.  Over a period of five years a considerable amount of Paul’s time was given to this effort. 

The believers in Macedonia were commended to the Corinthian church by the Apostle Paul, as examples, for the spirit in which they had given (2 Corinthians 8:1f).  They gave sacrificially (i.e. out of their “extreme poverty” and “beyond their means”); joyously (“their abundance of joy”); generously (“in a wealth of generosity”); beggingly (“begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part”); lovingly (“for the relief of the saints”); and in a surprising fashion (“and this not as we expected”). 

Theirs was not a reluctant “how much is this going to cost me?” kind of gift.  It was a “my brothers in Christ are in need, what can I do to help?” kind of sacrifice.  Their brethren in Jerusalem were hundreds of miles away, but that mattered not to the Macedonians.  They had never met them, but they responded as they were kin (which they were; Cf. Hebrews 13:3).  Why did they give as they did?  Paul explained, “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us” (2 Corinthians 8:5).  They gave as an act of worship.  Their hearts and lives and love already belonged to God (2 Corinthians 5:15).  They were Spirit-led to give in Christ-like manner that they might assist their Christian brethren. 

They gave as Jesus gave.  He Himself came as a heaven-sent gift of “inexpressible” worth (Cf. John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 9:15).  He did not merely give out of His riches, He gave and gave and when He had given all that He had in this life, He gave that up too (Cf. Philippians 2:5-8).  He impoverished Himself so that we might be made rich.  “For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).  When it comes to the matter of giving His example reigns supreme.

One of the things that has amazed me in my five trips to Africa has been the overwhelming support this ministry has received.  Our brethren in the Masaka Region of Uganda are impoverished and in need of help.  Churches in Maine, Florida, Oregon, Washington and other places have responded by providing funds for transportation, building projects, Lugandan Bibles, Bible school tuition, gospel tracts, children’s ministry supplies, medical supplies, purchase of animals, printing and distribution of the “First Steps with Jesus” booklet, etc., etc.  The ministry effort has been amply provided for and sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways.  The spirit of giving has been a tremendous source of encouragement to many.  We would be amiss were we to fail to acknowledge the true source of this abundant provision.  In addressing the matter Paul traced the gift of the Macedonian believers back to the “grace of God” (2 Corinthians 8:1).  Such giving is ultimately sourced in Him.  It is by His grace in salvation that rebels are transformed into worshippers and created anew with the desire to give.  It is by His grace that we are enriched, for “what do (we) have that (we) did not receive” (1 Corinthians 4:7)?  It has all come to us by grace—salvation, provision, strength, motivation and ability to serve.  By the grace of God we are what we are (Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:10).  Whenever we see that spirit of giving—whether it be of time, energy, or money--we can trace it back to God, who is the greatest giver of them all (Cf. James 1:17).

GOOD GRIEF (2 Corinthians Chapter 7)

2 Corinthians 7:9-10, “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting.  For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss for it.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

The context of these two verses has to do with the response of the Corinthian church to a letter Paul had sent them.  There were false teachers in Corinth and some who were rebelling against Paul (Cf. 2 Corinthians 2:5, 11:2-4, 13).  Paul loved the church and wanted God’s best for them (Cf. 2 Corinthians 11:2, 28).  He wrote to them to address what was taking place.  He wrote “out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears” that they might know of the “abundant love” that he had for them (Cf. 2 Corinthians 2:4).  Paul did not excuse, evade or tolerate the evil that was occurring, but with “anguish of heart” he confronted it by speaking the truth in love (Cf. Ephesians 4:15).  He dealt with the matter as a loving parent would in disciplining his own children (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:11), as God himself responds to us all (Cf. Hebrews 12:5-11).

Paul was deeply concerned as to the response of the Corinthians to his letter.  He wondered as to what they might do and could not rest in anticipation (Cf. 2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:5).  He knew that his letter would cause them grief and for a time regretted having even sent it (Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:8).  But then Titus returned with his report on their positive response.  And Paul was comforted (Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:4, 6, 7) and he rejoiced (Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:7).

Paul used the opportunity to speak of the two alternative responses to the confrontation of a revealed sin problem.  Both relate to experiencing grief, but in one case that grief is characterized as “worldly” and in the other “godly.”

John MacArthur, in a sermon on this text, aptly distinguished between the two kinds of sorrow: “Theirs was the right kind of sorrow.  It was not the sorrow of selfish sympathy, poor me, self-pity.  It was not the sorrow of getting caught and being cut off from the pursuit of your iniquity and thus your lust is unfulfilled.  It was not the sorrow of interrupted iniquity.  It was not the sorrow of weak sensitivity.  It was not the sorrow of despair.  It was not the sorrow of bitterness.  It was not the sorrow of wounded pride.  It was not the sorrow that's often expressed of manipulative remorse.  It was the real thing and he says it here in verse 9, it was the sorrow of repentance, the sorrow of metanoia, the sorrow of turning around and going the other direction.  It's the sorrow of a real change, no defensiveness, no victimization mentality, no self-vindication, no self-justification, no self-defense and no resentment, just sorrow unto repentance, the real deal, the real transformation, the real change.”

There is a “good grief” and it is that God-ward response to conviction of sin.  David experienced it and cried out, “Against you, and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4).  Good grief is a blessed thing is as much as it “those who mourn” over sin who “shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).  Judas had a “worldly grief.”  He was sorrowful in that sense after he betrayed the Lord (Matthew 27:3-4), but it was not of the godly variety that accompanies salvation.  Peter denied Jesus, experienced a godly grief, and was restored (Cf. Luke 22:62, 32; John 21:15-17).

To experience a godly grief over sin is to view sin from God’s perspective.  To appreciate its vile and debilitating nature.  To see it as a contradiction to that from which Christ has worked to free us.  To understand it in terms of its dichotomy to God’s purpose for us.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians with tears, but rejoiced in their response because it demonstrated that they truly belonged to God (Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:12).  Theirs was a “good” (i.e. godly) grief.

HOUSES AND TENTS (2 Corinthians Chapter 5)

2 Corinthians 5:1-2, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.”

This verse looks back to that which proceeds and the encouraging word that our present day trials are “preparing us for an eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).  Looking not at the things that are seen, we do not lose heart knowing that “he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus” and bring us into his presence (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:14).  A distinction is made, in these two verses, between our present dwelling (our earthly home) and that which awaits us in heaven.  We now reside in a tent, but we long for our heavenly abode.

Our family once tent camped at the Deschutes River State Park at the mouth of the Deschutes River.  It is typically very windy in the Columbia River gorge and it was on that occasion.  Sometimes it seemed as if the winds would lift our tent off the ground and blow it away.  Laura and I camped there again last year.  A sudden thunderstorm brought strong winds and heavy rains and most of the tent campers quickly picked up their tents and left.  Tents are temporary dwelling places.  They are subject to tears and rot.  Their ability to provide comfort and shelter is limited.

The Maryhill Museum of Art lies across the river from the Deschutes River State Park.  We once left our tents behind to visit the place.  It was designed 100 years ago by a famous architectural firm and built by Sam Hill to be his residence.  It is constructed of steel I-beams with interior steel studs.  The walls, floors, and ceilings are constructed of poured concrete reinforced with steel.  Sam Hill built it to last “1000 years.”  For one hundred years it has stood and weathered the strong winds and storms that sometimes visit the Columbia River gorge. But as impressive as the Maryhill building is, it is subject to the same decaying forces that permeate all of this curse-afflicted creation (Cf. Romans 8:21; 2 Peter 1:4).  It too will be destroyed one day (Cf. 2 Peter 3:10-11).

Our earthly bodes are compared to tents.  They are temporary dwelling places.  They are frail, subject to decay, and not fit for heaven (Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:50).  They are “perishable,” “sown in dishonor” and “weakness,” “natural” not spiritual, “from earth,” and “of dust” (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).  No “age-defying” machination of man can work to prevent the decay.  Only through God’s intervention, in receiving the One who died for sins and rose from the dead, can any of us experience triumph over sin and death (Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:16; John 1:12). 

Paul was writing to believers in Christ and his message was one of hope and assurance.  God has prepared a home for us in heaven.  In contrast to the temporary dwelling places in which we now live, our heavenly home is “eternal.”  It will last far longer than 1000 years.  It is not subject to rot, or rust, or robbers (Cf. Matthew 5:19-20).  As any homeowner knows that it takes a lot of work to keep up a house, but not so our heavenly abode.  No earthly home is without flaws, but our heavenly home will be “imperishable, undefiled and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).  A famous architect designed the Maryhill home, but it is God Himself who has designed and constructed our eternal one (Hebrews 11:10, 16).  As Jesus once said to His disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you will be also” (John 14:3-4).

Moving is a difficult and tiresome thing, but the distress is lessened if the move is to a more desirable place.  Every believer in Christ will one day make a last move to a heavenly abode.  Jesus’ presence there makes that place most desirable (Cf. Philippians 1:23; 3:20).  The use of the word “if” in verse one is noteworthy.  Those alive at Christ’s return will not experience “destruction” per se, but will be instantly “caught up” into His presence and transformed (Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:50-52).  Whether we “walk the vale with Him, or “meet Him in the air,” in either case, we will brought home to a place that will far exceed our expectations and desires (Cf. Ephesians 3:19-21).  “So we do not lose heart…for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

JARS OF CLAY (2 Corinthians Chapter 4)

2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay.”

The context of this passage has to do with Paul’s perspective regarding ministry.  By the mercy of God he’d been given a ministry and in it he did not “lost heart” (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16).  He was faithful to the task and refused to deviate from the truth (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:2-3).  How did he stay motivated?  Some refused to believe, how was he not discouraged?

I recently read a book about the Alaskan Gold Rush.  It is amazing to consider the extent that folks would go to-- and the hardship they would endure--in the pursuit of the prospect of treasure!  Paul was motivated in his ministry not by the prospect of treasure, but by the possession of it.  Though he was, by his own admission, “the very least of all the saints, he was privileged “to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).  The possession of the treasure served both to motivate and empower him.

What is the treasure of which Paul spoke?  It is the gospel but more than the gospel.  The gospel is in the immediate context (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).  It was a part of what Paul refused to tamper with (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3).  It was the truth to which the perishing were blinded to, but to which the saved were enlightened (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6).  The treasure is not just knowing the gospel, but knowing the One of whom the gospel speaks (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:6).  It is to be Spirit-brought into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus.  It is the knowing of Him and in a personal and intimate way.  To know Him is to possess immeasurable treasure, to live without Him is to be hopelessly and eternally impoverished.

Where does the treasure lie?  In jars of clay (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7).  Jars of clay were widely used in Paul’s day.  They were used to hold things.  And there were vessels of gold and silver and there were jars of clay.  What is the nature of a jar of clay?  Something ordinary, pedestrian, vulnerable, and temporary.  Paul was himself a jar of clay.  He possessed in life and ministry unsearchable riches, but God had deposited His treasure in his Paul’s frail being.  He was a clay pot—“afflicted…perplexed…persecuted…struck drown… always carrying in (his) body the dying of Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). 

Why has God placed His treasure in such a place?  We don’t have to wonder—as verse 7 explains, “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”  It was God’s design to place the treasure into ordinary jars of clay like you and me.  It is the same principle of which Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, “And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God?”  God has treasured our frail vessels that attention might not be directed to a man or a messenger, but to the God-man and His gospel (Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).  God has deposited His treasure in jars of clay “so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies (1 Corinthians 4:10, 11).

By way of contrast the treasure vividly shines having been placed in frail vessels.  Human weakness and vulnerability gives opportunity for God’s grace to be made all the more evident.  These matters are sometimes confused in our day.  The treasure is neglected and emphasis is put instead on the clay pots.  Books are written on how to be a better clay pot.  In clay pot meetings clay pot ministries are developed with little thought given to the indwelling treasure (Cf. Revelation 3:17).  Churches compete with one another to see who can grow the biggest clay pot assembly.  And in all this spiritual naivety and nonsense it is possible to lose sight of the treasure.  Ministry is not about us, it’s about the treasure--knowing Jesus.  As Paul had said, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

God would have us to treasure the treasure and Jesus is that to us.  In our lives and ministries His life and sufficiency are made manifest amidst our human frailty and weakness--as we are “broken and spilt out” (Cf. Mark 14:3-9).  As with the cross, the surpassing greatness of God’s power is more vividly revealed when set against a contrary background.