Chapter Four

¹ Chapter Four. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not. Since he had said many and great things—that We the apostles are greater even than Moses (for if all are, much more these)—he now tends the swelling, and says that the whole is nothing. For we are only ministers, and not even this, the ministry, is our own, but, even as, he says, we obtained mercy; for this too is of the divine mercy. And the inversion, Therefore we faint not; that is, Because we were accounted worthy of such things, we do not give up before the dangers, before the afflictions, since, having once obtained mercy, we were appointed his ministers.

² But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness. He hints at the false apostles, who dissembled in all things. Taking secretly, they appeared not to take; they seemed holy, and were unclean. We, then, he says, have renounced the doing of such things as, when brought to light, put to shame the one who does them—those, that is, which are done with dissimulation. For he adds, Not walking in craftiness. So that these are the things that work shame—the things done in craftiness. And if you should understand this also of shameful deeds, it is nothing strange; such too were the false apostles.

³ Nor handling the word of God deceitfully. Not only, he says, is our life simple and pure and free from guile, but our doctrine also and our word are simple. For we mix into it nothing of the outside wisdom, nor anything flattering, nor money got from the word,[1] teaching now this and now that according to the seasons and the persons, as the false apostles do.

⁴ But by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every conscience of men in the sight of God. The false apostles, he says, commend themselves by dissimulations, and by appearing to be one thing while being another; but I commend myself by the manifestation of the truth; that is, using the very deeds as witnesses—as when I say that I take nothing, and have you as witnesses; and so likewise for the rest. Thus I commend myself to all men, both unbelievers and believers, laying my life bare and setting the preaching openly before all, that they may learn it. Then, since it is possible to deceive men, he says, In the sight of God, whom the false apostles would not consent to have as a witness.

⁵ But if our gospel also is hidden, it is hidden in them that perish. Having said above that, even if a veil lay upon the Israelites, yet we the faithful behold with unveiled face, he now says that, Even if the gospel is hidden, it is hidden to the unbelievers. For what then befell the Jews with respect to Moses, this now befalls the unbelievers with respect to the gospel. And the charge is theirs, not the gospel’s; since, if indeed they had believed, they too would have beheld unveiled the glory of God.

⁶ In whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ should not dawn upon them. For among the manifold, he says, as also the diverse, are the unbelievers too; the minds, therefore, of these the god of this age blinded. Here the Marcionites say that these things are spoken of the Demiurge, whom they call just and good; and the Manichaeans, of the devil, whom they also call the maker of this world. But it is neither of these; rather it is spoken of our God. And if he is called the God of this age, it is nothing strange, since he is called also the God of heaven; and he is not the God of this only; and the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and not of these only, but of all. What, then, is strange if now also Paul has opportunely named him God of this age, that he may the rather show the unbelievers that He made these visible things too, in which they luxuriate while they set him at nought? And it is also to be read thus: that Of the unbelievers of this age he blinded the minds; for the age to come has no unbelievers. And what is He blinded? That is, he permitted them to be blind; as also the saying, He gave them up to passions of dishonour. For since they leaped away from him, he let them be, he forsook them; for he does not force toward salvation. And mark that he did not say that he blinded them to unbelief, but to the not seeing by their profane eyes the light of the glory of Christ. And the light is to believe that he was crucified, that he was taken up, that he will give the things to come. As if one should shut off a man whose eyes are diseased from seeing the rays of the sun, lest he be further harmed; so then these too became unbelievers of themselves, and to them, being become such, God shut off the rays of the glory of the Gospel, as also to the Israelites the face of Moses. So also he charged us not to cast the pearls before the swine. And well did he say Dawn; for we have now a moderate radiance, and not the whole light—which before he called a fragrance and a pledge, showing that the greater part remains yonder.

⁷ Who is the image of the invisible God. He shows here that they are ignorant not only of the glory of Christ, but also of that of the Father. For since Christ is the image of the Father, he who does not see him knows not him either.

⁸ For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Christ’s sake. Above he said, We walk not in craftiness; then he inserted the matters concerning the unbelievers, how they are veiled. He says, therefore, now that For this reason we do not deal craftily, because we preach not ourselves, as the false apostles do. For they persuaded the disciples to be named after themselves, as he showed also in the former epistle: I am of Apollos, and I of Cephas. Or else, that Do not suppose, as they who war against us seek to make you think, that you war against us. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ. Against him, then, you war, the one preached. For we are so far from preaching ourselves that we do not even refuse to be your servants for Christ’s sake; that is, Because he so loved us, and did all things for our sake.

⁹ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, is he who shined in our hearts, to the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Why, he says, do we not preach ourselves? Because God shined in our hearts, as of old into the face of Moses, so now into us. Yet not as at the first creation, where he spoke and there came light out of darkness, so now also he spoke and there came light; but he himself became light to us. For he himself shined to us in the face of Christ; that is, through Christ. For through Christ the Father shines in us, and bestows the light of the knowledge—not of his essence, but of the glory. And mark the theology of the Trinity in Paul even here: concerning the Spirit, We behold the glory of the Lord; the Lord is the Spirit; concerning the Son, The light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ; and concerning the Father now, The light of the knowledge of the glory of him.

¹⁰ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Since he had said many and great things concerning the unspeakable glory, lest anyone say, And how do we, who have received such things as you say, remain in a mortal body? he says that This very thing too is of the power of God, that an earthen vessel contains such treasures.

¹¹ That the excellency of the power may be God’s, and not from us. That, he says, the excellency of the power of God shown forth in us may be his, and that we may not be thought to accomplish anything of ourselves, but that all who behold may say that the whole is God’s. And he hints at the false apostles, that they ascribed the whole to themselves.

¹² In everything afflicted, but not straitened. And so great, he says, is the whole of the power of God, that although we are earthen, and beaten about by so many trials, we are not shattered and do not lose the treasure within us. For we are afflicted in every season, and place, and matter, and among friends, among enemies; but we are not straitened, since God enlarges our hearts.

¹³ Perplexed, but not in despair. This is, falling into perplexities and straits, yet standing upright and not despairing and falling, but finding ways through in God and conquering.

¹⁴ Persecuted, but not forsaken. Men persecute us, but God does not forsake us. For these things are permitted for our exercise, not for our defeat.

¹⁵ Cast down, but not destroyed. Cast down in body and in outward things by our adversaries, but not destroyed—by the eagerness and the firmness of the soul, and, as to the body itself also, preserved by God.

¹⁶ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our body. That is, undergoing daily deaths, and ever imitating the death of the Lord, and thereby showing also his life, that is, the resurrection, in our body. For if anyone disbelieves that the Lord is risen, seeing us dying day by day and yet living day by day, he could no longer with reason disbelieve.

¹⁷ For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh. By these words he interprets how he had spoken of the dying of Jesus; for it was obscure, and he is ever wont to make clear the obscure things. And the saying, That the life of Jesus may be made manifest, is, in addition to the former interpretation, to be taken also thus: that As we endure the death of Christ, and, living, choose to die for his sake, so also he will choose to give life to us when we are dead; which he says also elsewhere: For if we died with him, we shall also live with him.

¹⁸ So then death works in us, but life in you. By death here he means the trials, saying this: that We are in dangers, but you reap the life that comes from the dangers, since the gospel is preached to you, through which you live the eternal life.

¹⁹ And having the same Spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore also speak. He had made mention of trials and of deaths above; then, that Jesus delivers us also out of these, he says; and he added a consideration, that for this reason he delivers us, that he may confirm his own resurrection. Now therefore, he says, that this must be assured by faith also, and not by reasonings alone. And he says that As David, being in trials, and delivered by God alone, said, I believed, therefore have I spoken; so we also, having the same Spirit of faith which he too had, believe, and therefore also speak, that as Jesus rose, so we also shall both now prevail over the dangers and again rise together with him. And note that the same Spirit is in the Old also, and in the New, on account of those who are ignorant of the law.

²⁰ Knowing that he who raised up Jesus shall raise up us also, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which has abounded may, through the more, make the thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. What do we believe, he says, and what do we know? That even now he will deliver us out of the dangers, and afterward will raise us up, he who raised up Jesus also, and will present us with you to enjoy the good things. And he encourages them toward faith and the good manner of life. And hinting at the false apostles, who say, We are the mediators to the disciples of the good things from God, he says that For your sakes are all things, and this resurrection, and not for the sake of this man or that. And this God does, and bestows upon many, so that, the grace abounding, the thanksgiving also may abound, being brought through many persons to the glory of God. So that the false apostles, by appropriating the grace of God, darken also his glory.

²¹ Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward is renewed day by day. Because, he says, we know the power of God, and that he both now delivers us from the dangers and afterward will raise us up in splendour, we faint not, neither do we give up in suffering; and the outward man, that is, the body, perishes. How? By being scourged, by being driven about. But the inward, that is, the spirit and the soul, is renewed. How? By having good hopes, and by speaking with boldness, as suffering for God’s sake, and rejoicing.

²² For our momentary lightness of affliction, exceedingly to excess, works for us an eternal weight of glory. He interprets how the inward man is renewed, and says that he considers that the affliction is momentary, that is, temporary and light, for this very reason that it is temporary; but the glory is both eternal, and has weight, that is, a greatness excessively excessive; for this he says by the words, Exceedingly to excess.

²³ 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 temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. He shows how the affliction is light. Because, he says, all the things that are seen are temporary; so that both the affliction and the repose; for this too is a thing seen. For this reason he said The things that are seen, that he might include this also. We shall therefore neither be cast down by the affliction, nor be made slack by the repose; for both are temporary. And these being such, the things not seen are eternal, that is, the kingdom and the punishment; so that we should both long for the one and flee the other.