Don’t Give Up Ministering the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
I first came across 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 in light of my physical struggles. I suppose the verses can be applied in principle even to such a situation like that.
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
However, I studied out the context of these verses and found that they relate more directly to persevering in the ministry of the gospel in the face of persecution.
Paul is writing yet another letter to the church at Corinth, which has been disrupted by false teachers opposing Paul’s ministry. In fact, they have been attacking the legitimacy of Paul’s ministry. The false teachers have been claiming that Paul is the one who is not a true apostle. They have been trying to persuade the Corinthians that they should not follow Paul because he is weak and his message is simplistic. Paul is no great orator; his speech is ordinary and unimpressive. If Paul were a true apostle then he would be extraordinary, exude power, and be protected by God from suffering. You can get a taste of the troubles Paul faced in 2 Corinthians 4:8–11; 6:4–10; 11:23–31. Paul has personally experienced the depths of difficulty in ministry.
Wouldn’t this be enough to discourage you, to faint in light of the race before you, to lose heart, to give up, to isolate yourself and to stop ministering to protect yourself? In our culture we are facing increasing pressure to compromise or be persecuted. Paul’s message could not be more relevant to us today!
What was Paul’s response to such pressures and persecution? He tells his fellow laborers not to faint, not to give up, not to lose heart (2 Cor 4:1, 16). In fact, it’s a statement of adamant determination, of definite, unwavering truth. “We will keep on ministering the gospel, come what may!”
Why? How could Paul face up to the realities of such circumstances and remain so determined to keep on serving Christ by ministering the gospel?
Summarizing Paul’s thoughts in 2 Corinthians 4:16–18, his big idea is this: an eternal perspective motivates ministry perseverance in the face of perpetual persecution.
Paul provides three reasons not to give up ministering in the face of persecution:
- Inner spiritual renewal is greater than outer physical deterioration.
- The eternal weight of glory surpasses our light, momentary affliction.
- The unseen realities are eternal while our seen experiences are temporary.
We’ll unpack each of these points in the next post and fill out the context of 2 Corinthians 3–5 a bit more. In the meantime, let me encourage you to read over and meditate on these three chapters—especially if you are finding yourself discouraged because of opposition in the ministry.
For now, let me leave you with this exciting reminder. Don’t forget the treasure that you bear in your frail body: the glorious New Covenant gospel (2 Cor 4:7 cf. 2 Cor 3).
And don’t forget why God uses such frail beings as us: so that His excellencies and power would be made known (2 Cor 4:7). “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not” (2 Cor 4:1).
Kevin Collins has served as a junior high youth leader in Michigan, a missionary in Singapore, a Christian School teacher in Utah, and a Bible writer for the BJU Press. He currently works for American Church Group of South Carolina.
Image by Patrick Saliceti from Pixabay