Not Losing Heart

7/30/25 Bible Thought (2 Corinthians 4)

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The results of gospel-ministry are in God’s hands.

I think sometimes the church can forget that conversion is a spiritual thing. Salvation is accomplished by God, not by His messengers. As we saw yesterday, we need a change wrought in our lives by the Holy Spirit!

Now, why is this so important?

In 2 Corinthians 4, the apostle Paul reminds us that the nonbeliever’s eyes have been blinded:

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4).

What is needed then, is for the God of heaven, the same One who in the beginning said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3; 2 Cor. 4:6) to shine in the human heart, “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

As such, Paul says, “We do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:1). The results are in God’s hands.

God is the One who has condescended to work through human vessels, or jars of clay (2 Cor. 4:7) although He had no need to do so. A clay jar would have been the most common type of jar in Paul’s day.^[1] It was ordinary, and it wasn’t anything special.

The treasure within the jar is of infinite value, whereas the jar is of infinitely insignificant value.

The apostles, and specifically Paul, dealt with all manner of problems and sufferings (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

Even today I frequently feel like a clay jar. You probably do at times too. With human frailty and limitations, we can quickly recognize how insufficient we are for the task, and this makes us depend on God and brings Him glory (2 Cor. 4:7b).

In summary of his sufferings, Paul described how he carried about the death of Jesus in his body so that the life of Jesus would likewise be made manifest (2 Cor. 4:10).

Because of this, once again, Paul doesn’t lose heart.

Yes, he was merely a jar of clay; however, there is a hope for a final resurrection of all who believe (2 Cor. 4:14).

So, even if the outer self isn’t anything special. Even if they faced suffering. Even if things didn’t go well for them, they had the hope of, “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). So do we.

As such, what is there to be discouraged about?

As an apostle, Paul recognized that all of his success was in God’s hands, as He worked supernaturally in the lives of those who heard the gospel.

Likewise, the success of the church’s mission isn’t rooted in better methods, better persuasion, or better ministers—but in the true God of heaven and earth removing the blinders of Satan and shining His light into the human heart. Only God can say, “Let there be light.”

Secondly, all hardships and sufferings in this life pale in comparison to an eternal, unseen glory that is to come (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

As Paul wrote elsewhere,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18).

So, if my mission in life is held in God’s hands, and if my eternity is held in His hands, then how could I lose heart?

If we set our eyes on what is above (Col. 3:1-2) then we have reason to be encouraged today and encouraged greatly!

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^[1] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 216.