2 Corinthians

4:1-6

4. Paul defends the character of his ministry, 3:1-6:13

iii] The treasure of gospel ministry

In our passage for study, Paul continues the defence of his ministry and in so doing, gives us a further insight into the gospel. It is clear that some associated with the Corinthian church see little truth in his teachings. As far as they are concerned, his gospel, "in which Christ's glory shines", is ineffective. To this charge Paul defends himself.

In similar vein to 2:14-17, Paul addresses the issue of his evangelistic work in response to the criticisms laid against him by his opponents, the judaizers (nomistic preachers most probably from the Jerusalem church), ie. he employs a ring composition that serves to complete a circle of ideas, so Barnett, Martin. In that sense, the passage is apologetic, although as Plummer notes it is not easy to determine whether Paul is answering charges against him (apologetic), or bringing charges against those who are troubling the church. Still, defense seems to be the business at hand: "Paul has not grown lax in the discharge of his commission (v1), has renounced (as always) secretive practices (v2), does not adopt crafty techniques (v2), does not tamper with God's word (v2), and does not proclaim his own person (v5)", Harris.

Woven into Paul's defence is an outline of his own spiritual journey: "he had been an unbeliever, blinded to the light of the gospel (v4). On the road to Damascus, however, Paul had seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God (v4, 6). Having given him the ministry of the new covenant, God showed him mercy, illuminating his heart that he might give the light of the knowledge of God to others (1, 6). In proclaiming the word of God, the gospel that Jesus Christ is Lord, Paul sets forth the truth (v2, 4 and 5), and he does so as their slave for Jesus' sake", Barnett.

Harris proposes a structure of three couplets, v1-2, 3-4, 5-6, as below, with Lambrecht noting the concentric nature of the passage, "we (ministers), v1-2, "they (Israelites [probably nomist preachers??])", and "we (ministers)".

The glory of the ministry prompts perseverance and openness, v1-2.

dia + acc. "therefore" - because of, on account of [this]. Causal. Possibly: i] picking up on 3:12, "since we have such a hope", or ii] Paul's turning to the Lord with the subsequent removal of the veil, seeing the glory of the Lord and being transformed, 3:16-18, or iii] "because the gospel is the good news of the glory of God", Barrett, or iv] referring forward to "this ministry", Thrall, the substance of which ministry Paul has already outlined in 2:14-3:13. "Because / for this reason."

econteV (ecw) pres. part. "since ..... we have" - having. The participle is adverbial, possibly causal, as NIV, but if dia touto refers forward then it is adjectival, epexegetic, limiting touto, "this"; "because of this, that is, this ministry we have" = "because we have been entrusted with a ministry such as this."

kaqwV "-" - as, just as [recipients of mercy]. Contrastive, usually taken as contrasting what precedes, so Bruce; "and that it is entirely due to the mercy which we have received from God that has become ours", Cassirer.

hlehqhmen (eleew) aor. pas. "through God's mercy" - recipients of mercy, treated with mercy. Possibly the royal plural, either referring to Paul's conversion, or God's kindness in appointing him as a minister of the gospel.

ouk egkakoumen (egkakew) "we do not lose heart" - we do not become weary, discouraged, behave badly. Here in the sense of "be lax / remiss", not being up-front with the gospel. Possibly "we do not neglect our duty", Barrett, but not as strong as "behave treacherously", Knox.

alla "rather" - but. Adversative.

apeipameqa (apeipon) aor. "we have renounced" - we spurned, disowned, renounced. Emphatic. In renouncing, Paul is not saying he once did.... "So far from that, we have renounced those practices", Barrett.

thV aiscunhV (h) gen. "[secret and] shameful ways" - [the hidden things] of shame / disgrace, ignominy. The genitive is adjectival, attributive, limiting "hidden", "disgraceful secret ways", but see Thrall, p303. The aorist may point to a particular point in time when he renounced shameful ways, the marketing of his message, or better, his complete renouncing of guile. When it comes to preaching the gospel, Paul is not into managing the message in such a way as to attract believers. "Practices which are so shameful", Barclay.

mh peripatounteV (peripatew) pres. part. "we do not use" - not going about in, not walking. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the renouncing; "we have renounced ..... not walking in craftiness", AV. The verb takes the sense of "not conducting ourselves."

en "-" - in [craftiness]. Probably here adverbial, modal, expressing manner; "with craftiness."

panourgia/ (a) dat. "deception" - craftiness, deception, trickery, cunning. The dative is instrumental. "We use no hocus-pocus, no clever tricks, not dishonest manipulation of the Word of God. We speak the plain truth", Phillips.

mhde dolounteV (dolow) part. "nor do we distort [the word]" - - nor falsifying, corrupting, ensnaring [the word]. The participle is modal, expressing the manner of the renouncing. "Tamper with God's word"; RSV, "twist", CEV.

tou qeou (oV) gen. "of God" - The genitive is possibly adjectival, possessive, or ablative expressing source/origin. The phrase ton logon tou qeou, "the word of God", here with the narrow sense, "the gospel."

th fanerwsei (iV ewV) dat. "by setting forth [the truth] plainly" - by the manifestation, openness, clearness. The dative is probably instrumental, as NIV; "by means of the manifestation of the truth." As opposed to a managed release of the truth, Paul works "to bring the truth into the full light of day", Barclay.

thV alhqeiaV (a) gen. "the truth" - of the truth. Usually taken as an objective genitive, "by the open declaration concerning / about the truth", although possibly possessive / relational; "the truth's manifestation."

sunistanonteV (sunisthmi) pres. part. "we commend [ourselves]" - The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the renouncing.

proV + acc. "to" - to, toward. Spacial.

anqrwpwn (oV) gen. "[every] man's" - [every conscience] of men. The genitive is adjectival, possessive.

suneidhsin (iV ewV) "conscience" - Referring to a person's ability to make moral judgments. Any person can discern that Paul communicates the gospel with integrity. "God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure that we can be trusted", CEV.

enwpion + gen. "in the sight [of God]" - before [God]. Spacial.

The glory of the gospel is veiled to minds blinded by Satan, v3-4.

de "and" - but, and. Here slightly adversative, expressing a "qualification", Barnett; "but", AV.

kai "even" - and. The construction ei .. kai is often concessive; "but, although our gospel is veiled, it is veiled ......"

ei + ind. "if" - Conditional sentence, first-class, where the condition, namely that for some the gospel is not understood, is a reality, "if, as is the case, .... then ....".

hJmwn gen. pro. "our [gospel]" - [the gospel] of us. Possibly a subjective genitive, but more likely possessive, given Paul's constant references to his gospel, as opposed to the one bandied about by the judaizers.

estin kekalummenon (kaluptw) perf. pas. part. "is veiled" - has been hidden, veiled. This participle, with the present tense of the verb to be, both here and in the apodosis of the conditional clause, forms a periphrastic perfect construction; "has been veiled", "hidden", CEV.

en + dat. "to" - in. Probably expressing space/sphere, "among the perishing", so Barnett, but possibly standing for a simple dative, "in the case of", so Harris; "in the minds of those who are spiritually dying", Phillips.

toiV apollumenoiV (apollumi) pres. mid. part. "those who are perishing" - the ones perishing, facing ruin, lost. The participle serves as a substantive. Those heading for ruin rather than already ruined, "those on the road to perdition", Knox. Paul may just have in mind unbelievers here, although he could be referring to his critics as well.

en + dat. "-" - in [whom]. Probably resumptive, looking back to en toiV apollumenoiV, "among those who are perishing"; "in the case of whom", Barrett.

oJ qeoV (oV) "the god" - Although often disputed, it is likely that this is a reference to Satan whose authority is over, or controls this age, an authority which he claimed at the temptation of Jesus, Lk.4:6. The interesting question is, does he possess this authority or does he think he possesses it? "The devil who rules this world", NCV. Questions over demonic beings often confuse and so where this may be the case we could opt for "the spirit (darkness) of this world ("this passing age", REB) has blinded the minds (has dulled the understanding) of those who do not believe", Phillips.

tou aiwnoV toutou gen. "of this age" - of the age of this. As usual, it is difficult to know how to treat the genitival phrase "of this age." Harris thinks it is objective, "the god who rules over this age", although adjectival, epexegetic, limiting "god" by definition, seems more likely; "the god whom the world worships", Cassirer.

etuflwsen (tuflow) aor. "has blinded" - blinded [the thoughts]. The interesting question is to what extend is the reasoning process of an unbeliever dulled when they hear a gospel message? I take it that the casual observer sees nothing in the message; it is hidden from them. Yet, it is most unlikely that it is hidden from the seeker. The issue is an important one as it will affect how we do evangelism.

twn apistwn gen. adj. "of unbelievers" - of the ones disbelieving. The adjective serves as a substantive. The genitive is adjectival, possessive; "the minds of (that belong to) those who refuse to believe", Barclay.

eiV to mh + inf. "so that" - for not. "A construction ... which is ambiguous ... either final, or consecutive", Moule. So, possibly introducing a purpose clause, "in order that", or a consecutive clause, "with the result that / so that."

mh augasai (augazw) aor. inf. "they cannot see" - not to look on, see / illumine, shine on. The two possible meanings of this verb produce different translations: i] as NIV, where the subject "they" is supplied, or ii] the sense "to not shine forth the radiance of the gospel" with the object "them (unbelievers)" supplied; "so as to shut out the radiance of the gospel", Weymouth. The sense "so that they cannot see shining the light of the gospel", NJB, is grammatically superior since "unbelievers" ("they") is the properly assumed subject.

tou euaggeliou (on) "of the gospel" - The genitive is ablative, source/origin, expressing the divine revelation that shines from the message; "the gospel in which Christ's glory shines", Calvin.

thV doxhV tou Cristou gen. "of the glory of Christ" - These two subordinate genitives (the main modifier, "of the gospel", comes before the subordinate modifiers) are probably adjectival, epexegetic, limiting by definition ton fwtismon, "the light"; "the revealed splendor of the gospel, that is the glory of Christ", Martin. Possibly as a demonstration of the divine character, but it is more likely that Paul has in mind the glory of Christ's resurrection, cf., Phil.3:21.

eikwn (wn onoV) "the image" - sharing the essence of, same form, likeness / representation, pattern, prototype. Again, divine manifestation is the most widely accepted understanding of this descriptive; "sharing the essence of God." Paul may be drawing on Old Testament at this point, either of Christ as the divine Wisdom, the agent of creation and revelation, or Christ as the second Adam, Christ as a prototype of the new humanity, both of which reflect the glory of God, cf. Thrall.

tou qeou (oV) gen. "of God" - The genitive is probably adjectival, possessive, since Jesus by nature represents God's own person / glory. Harris also suggests that the genitive may possibly be classified as objective in that Jesus images God.

The glory of God is known in the gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord, v5-6. Moffatt treats this verse as a bracketed aside, although the transitional oJti, "for", in v6 does seem to tie with v5, rather than v4. "(It is Christ Jesus as Lord, not myself, that I proclaim: I am simply a servant of yours for Jesus Christ sake)."

gar "for" - Expressing cause / reason. The logic of Paul's argument is somewhat unclear at this point; see Thrall for all the options. It seems likely that he is explaining his part in setting forth the glory of God in Christ, v4b, namely, by preaching the gospel, which is not a message about himself, but about Christ as Lord, the risen and glorified one.

ou .... khrussomen (khrussw) pres. "we do not preach" - we do not proclaim, communicate. The present tense is probably iterative; "preach again and again."

alla "but" - Strong adversative.

kurion (oV) "as Lord" - lord, master, owner. Being without the article and followed by "ourselves as your servants", "Lord" is predicative. So, Paul doesn't preach "the Lord Jesus Christ", but rather "that Jesus Christ is Lord", CEV. Paul communicates a message that concerns Jesus Christ ("Christ Jesus" in some manuscripts), who is presented "as Lord." Jesus is preached as "the crucified Messiah who has been exalted by God (through his resurrection) to a position of lordship in heaven; the agent of atonement and proof of God's love, is now the merciful ruler of the world and victor over all evil powers", Barrett. The statement "Jesus is Lord" serves as a shorthand version of the gospel, namely that the kingdom of God is at hand - the Son of Man has taken his seat at the right hand of the Ancient of Days and even now all the powers of heaven and earth bend their knee before him.

de "and" - but, and. Here coordinative, although Harris suggests here the implied sense of "and therefore."

uJmwn gen. pro. "your" - [servants] of you. The genitive is possessive; "I am your slave."

doulouV (oV) "servants" - servants, slaves, bond servants. A descriptive of Christian ministry, although ministry is usually expressed in terms of a fellow worker rather than a slave "unconditionally obligated to serve", BAGD, a term usually reserved for service to Christ. Martin notes that the stress falls, not on servitude, but privilege, given that the image is of the chosen servant of the Lord.

dia + acc. "for [Jesus'] sake" - because of, on account of [Jesus]. "On account of Jesus", Barnett, cf. 4:11.

oJti "for" - because, since. Here expressing cause/reason. Paul preaches Jesus Christ as Lord, v5, because God has revealed this truth to him.

oJ eipwn (legw) aor. part. "[God], who said" - the one having spoken, The participle serves as a substantive standing in apposition to "God"; "who first ordered light to shine in the darkness", Phillips.

lamyei (lampw) fut. "let [light] shine" - will shine. The future tense here serves as an imperative. Clearly an allusion to Genesis 1:3-4, although the words there are slightly different, "let there be light." The God who commanded the light to shine at creation, commands his truth to irradiate Paul and the other apostles.

ek + gen. "out of [darkness]" - out of, from. Expressing source / origin.

oJV elamhen (lampw) aor. "made his light shine" - he shone. Possibly intransitive, as with the first use in this sentence, but the NIV aramaic causative sense seems better, "he made/caused light to shine."

en "in" - in the hearts. Expressing space / sphere. "Heart" in the sense of our rational self, not our feelings.

hJmwn gen. "our" - of us. The genitive is possessive. The "our" is again the royal plural, meaning Paul himself, but also possibly inclusive meaning Paul and the other apostles, or Paul and his missionary team.

proV "to give us" - toward = for. Here expressing purpose, "for the purpose of"; "with a view to", Barrett. Translations often supply a verb and indirect object, as NIV. Other possibilities: "to bring to light", NAB; "to let you know", CEV. It is possibly easier to turn the noun "light" into a verb: "enlighten them with the knowledge of God's glory", NJB. It is likely that Paul is the indirect object of the action in this verse, not "you", "them". God has enlightened him with divine knowledge, which is why he should be trusted. A less acceptable translation has Paul enlightened to enlighten others, so NJB etc.

thV gnwsewV "of the knowledge" - The genitive is most likely adjectival, appositional / epexegetic, ie. "the light" is / consists of "the knowledge". Possibly subjective, "the knowledge produced by the light."

thV doxhV tou qeou "of the glory of God" - The genitive, as usual, may be taken in different ways: i] adjectival, epexegetic, "the knowledge which consists of the glory of God in ... Christ"; ii] ablative, origin / source, "the knowledge which derives from the glory of God"; iii] subjective, "the illumining which the knowledge of the glory produces", Plummer. Adjectival seems best, referring to the glory which was evident in the person of Jesus Christ, particularly his resurrection.

en + dat. "in [the face]" - Expressing space / sphere. Paul is probably using a literal semitism which in 2:10 is best understood as "in the presence of", but here in the more literal sense, "in the countenance of." A Mosaic allusion again? A generalization best expresses the point; "in the person of Christ", Barrett,

2 Corinthians Introduction

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