Study 2 Corinthians 4

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1. Why did Paul not faint nor lose heart as a result of the multitude of persecutions and tribulations that came upon him?

Because God's mercy sustained him as he ministered to the saints the marvelous glory of the new covenant.

2. What did Paul renounce?

The hidden things of shame; walking in craftiness; adulterating the Word of God.

3. What did Paul practice?

He revealed the truth of Christ plainly, commending himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

4. To whom does the Gospel remain veiled?

To those who are perishing.

5. Who has blinded the minds of the unbelieving?

The god of the present age.

6. Why does Satan blind the minds of the people?

So they will be unable to behold the radiance of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

7. Whom does Paul proclaim?

Christ, the Lord.

8. How does Paul present himself and Timothy to the believers in Corinth?

As their bondservants, for Jesus' sake.

9. Who has shone in our hearts?

The same God who in the beginning commanded the light to shine out of darkness.

10. What light has God shed in our hearts?

The light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ.

11. In what vessel are we holding this treasure, the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ?

In the earthen vessel of our human form.

12. Why has God given us such a treasure while we are in a state of humiliation, of weakness, of frailty, of corruption?

So that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.
Again we have theme (suffering and comfort; death and resurrection) we encountered first in Chapter One- that of ministry from the cross, strength from weakness, life from death, the Glory of God proceeding from our flesh and blood inabilities and perplexities.

Paul was beginning to understand that the tribulations that came upon him continually were accomplishing a Divine purpose. They were keeping king self off the throne of Paul's life so that King Jesus, the Lord of glory, would be able to bring the fullness of the Glory of God to the imprisoned human race.

13. Name some of the forms of tribulation that were keeping Paul in a state of suffering.

Trouble, afflictions, perplexity, persecution-especially from the Jews, being struck down by people and circumstances.
Notice that these pains and problems were not coming on Paul as a judgment on his sins or to purge him from fleshly behavior. Rather, they were given so that the power of Paul's ministry would come from God and not from Paul's own abilities.
Paul was a helpless, suffering human being. But from the first century the Glory of God in Christ has poured through Paul's writings until the fruit that has resulted passes human ability to measure.
In your estimation, how many people of the world have been saved, strengthened, or otherwise affected for good through the letters of the Apostle Paul?
We have mentioned the trouble, afflictions, perplexity, persecution, being struck down. These are the sufferings of Christ.
In the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans we are commanded to count ourselves as crucified with the Lord Jesus and risen with Him. Here, in the fourth chapter of II Corinthians, we see the crucifixion and resurrection worked out in daily life. Every one who suffers with Christ reigns with Christ. The power by which Christ rules is that of eternal, indestructible, resurrection life, the life that proceeds only from crucifixion with Christ.
The power of resurrection life insured that Paul was not bound, was not crushed, was not in despair, was not at a loss, was not forsaken, was not destroyed.

14. What was Paul carrying around in his mortal body?

The death of the Lord Jesus.

15. For what purpose was Paul bearing about the death of Jesus in his mortal body?

So the resurrection life of Jesus might be revealed in his mortal body.
When we are young in the Lord our union with Christ's crucifixion and resurrection delivers us from the authority of the Law of Moses and from the guilt and force of sin. When we are older in the Lord the same union enables us to bring resurrection life to other people. Finally, we perceive as the goal of our life the removal of all self-centeredness and the gaining of the perfect knowledge of Christ, of the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

16. What is true of Christ's servants who are living in and by His eternal life?

They constantly are delivered to death for Jesus' sake.

17. Why does Christ continually deliver over His servants to trouble, to afflictions, to perplexity, to persecution, to being struck down?

Because such suffering provides the opportunity for the eternal, indestructible, resurrection life of Jesus to raise them up. The servants of the Lord thus are driven to live by the power of Christ's resurrection rather than by their own energy and wisdom.
When we become powerless to act, the Lord must assume control if something is to be done. We always have the sentence of death in ourselves such that we do not trust our own strength or wisdom but in trust God who raises the dead.

18. What is working continually in the faithful minister of the Gospel?

The death of trouble, afflictions, perplexity, persecution, being struck down.

19. What is working continually in those who are partaking of the ministry of the faithful minister?

The indestructible resurrection life of Christ; Christ's power that raises up the minister and is conveyed to the hearers.

20. What faith does the Apostle have?

The spirit of faith that causes him to speak the Word of God.

21. Read Psalms 116:10.

I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: (Psalms 116:10).

22. What did Paul know?

God who raised the Lord Jesus will raise Paul also with Jesus and will present him with the saints in Corinth before His holy Presence.

23. Why were the things that were happening taking place, especially the tribulations that were coming upon Paul?

They were taking place for the spiritual benefit of the believers in Corinth.
The grace of God that was raising up Paul was spreading out to many people. Therefore many people would be praying for Paul and giving thanks for his deliverance, bringing an abundance of glory to God.

24. Why did Paul not faint or lose heart because of his troubles?

Because he understood that God was bringing forth the Glory of Christ through Paul's tribulations.

25. What was happening to Paul's natural personality, his flesh and blood self?

It was decaying, perishing.

26. What was happening to Paul's inner, born-again man?

It was being renewed day by day.

27. What was Paul's momentary, light tribulation creating?

An eternal weight of glory so marvelous as to be beyond all comparison.
Notice that it is the tribulation that produces the glory.
Tribulation, when we permit it to bring forth the Life of Jesus in us, produces a weight of glory. The weight of glory is the "house which is from heaven" of the next chapter. The house from Heaven is the robe of righteousness and glory that will clothe our resurrected body when the Lord appears from Heaven. The robe of righteousness consists of the "things done in his body," of 2 Corinthians 5:10.

One of the basic principles of the Kingdom of God is that we reap what we sow.
Each of us was brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin (Psalms 51:5). We began life as a self-centered, lawless individual.
The great question of life is, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24).
It is the Lord's will that we be fashioned in the moral image of the Lord Jesus Christ. To this end we have been predestined.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be changed into the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29).
We were born with a blemished personality. The program of redemption is designed to remove the blemishes and present us before the Father in the image of Christ.
Let us take, for an example, the personality blemish we term impatience. In the Kingdom of God, patience is a very important attribute of personality. God is patient. The Lord Jesus is a patient Person. Satan, and those who follow him, are impatient, demanding and seizing by force whatever they desire.

God may have put strong desires and ambitions in us. As we seek to obtain and fulfill our desires many hindrances arise. At this point we have a choice. We can force our way through to the objective, breaking the laws of God in the meantime; or we can go to the Lord in prayer, seeking His help and comfort, and the patience of Christ, until the Lord brings to pass what we desire.
We are perplexed and struck down by circumstances but the eternal Life of the Lord Jesus raises us up. We keep on pressing forward in the Lord, and we keep on being frustrated in terms of our hopes and desires.

Our original "robe," our adamic nature with its impatience, is torn down and passes away. At some point, God rewards us by giving us the Divine patience of Christ. It is not a shaping of our adamic soul but the substitution of Divine patience for our natural ability or inability to be patient.
The attributes of personality we desire are all in Christ. God is ready to add these to us as soon as we prove worthy of them. We prove worthy of them by doing what God has commanded to the best of our ability.

God rewards us for striving to be patient by giving us of Christ's patience. Divine patience is a reward that is given to us because we have learned to lean on the Lord, obeying Him in all matters as we are able. In fact, the ability to lean on the Lord is a gift from Heaven which we are to pray for.
The robe of righteousness from Heaven is a change in personality, which may be given to us now in part, and shall be given to us in its fullness when the Lord returns. The ability to be righteous, holy, and obedient to God is our reward for keeping the Lord's commandments to the best of our ability. It is a "house from heaven."

When we are robed in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God, all the glory and blessing of the Kingdom of God will become ours because we are righteous, holy, and obedient. The robe of righteousness finally includes the glorified body, the house from Heaven.
In this life we must learn to fear, love, and trust the Lord. We must acquire the habit of leaning on Him for every detail of thought, word, and action. We must obey Him in all matters. We shall be tested!-tested!-tested!
If we are willing and obedient to learn the lessons life in the world is designed to teach, God will transform our personality, removing our old adamic robe and giving us a new robe of righteousness-in part now, and in fullness at the coming of the Lord.

Notice the changing of robes, in the following passage:
And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head.

So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch (Zechariah 3:1-8).
It was not the guilt of Joshua that passed from him, it was the filthy garments of iniquity. This passage is not speaking of the forgiveness of sins but of that which is possible only under the new covenant-the actual removal of the sin itself.

The Lord did not require of Joshua that he remove his iniquity by himself, because only God can do that. Rather, Joshua was required only to walk in the Lord's ways and to keep His charge.
Then the "Branch" is mentioned. The Branch is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Branch is emphasized because the "change of raiment" speaks of the righteous Nature of Christ, which God brings forth in us. The "fair mitre" [turban] portrays the mind of Christ which is given to the faithful saint.
The ministries of the Body of Christ travail until Christ is formed in the members of the Body. It is not Christ-likeness that is formed in us, as though our adamic soul could be changed into the image of God. Rather, it is the substitution of the Divine Nature and Substance of Christ for our adamic nature. We are being converted, not only in image but in actual substance and spirit.
To have a personality like that of Christ is God's gift to us, a gift given on the basis of our making the choices God requires of us.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness (Romans 6:19).

Adam cannot imitate Christ. Adam must die and the very Substance and Life of Christ must take his place. Only then can the individual please God, becoming the brother of the Lord.
God is pleased when He sees His Son in us. The Lamb is pleased when He beholds the Bride who has been formed from His own body and blood.
Our light affliction is the tool that God uses to bring our adamic nature down to futility and death in order that the Life of Christ may arise. The result of Divine Life coming forth from Adam's death is the robe of a new, righteous personality which is being fashioned before the Throne of God in Heaven and which will be given to us as a reward at the coming of the Lord from Heaven.

28. What was Paul looking at and considering?

The invisible, eternal glory of the Kingdom of God.

29. Why did Paul keep his attention on the invisible things of the Kingdom of God rather than on the visible things of the world?

Because the things of the world are temporary while the things of God's Kingdom are eternal, therefore of infinitely greater value.