2 Coríntios 4

ARC · Chapter 4/13

¹Pelo que, tendo este ministerio, segundo a misericordia que nos foi feita, não desfallecemos,

²Antes, rejeitámos as coisas que por vergonha se occultam, não andando com astucia nem falsificando a palavra de Deus, mas recommendando-nos á consciencia de todo o homem, na presença de Deus, pela manifestação da verdade.

³Porém, se tambem o nosso evangelho está encoberto, para os que se perdem está encoberto:

⁴Nos quaes o Deus d'este seculo cegou os entendimentos dos incredulos, para que lhes não resplandeça a luz do evangelho da gloria de Christo, que é a imagem de Deus.

⁵Porque não nos prégamos a nós mesmos, mas a Christo Jesus, o Senhor; e nós mesmos somos vossos servos por amor de Jesus.

⁶Porque Deus, que disse que das trevas resplandecesse a luz, é quem resplandeceu em nossos corações, para illuminação do conhecimento da gloria de Deus, na face de Jesus Christo.

⁷Temos, porém, este thesouro em vasos de barro, para que a excellencia do poder seja de Deus, e não de nós.

⁸Em tudo somos attribulados, porém não angustiados: perplexos, porém não desesperados:

⁹Perseguidos, porém não desamparados: abatidos, porém não perdidos:

¹⁰Trazendo sempre por toda a parte a mortificação do Senhor Jesus no nosso corpo, para que a vida de Jesus se manifeste tambem em nossos corpos;

¹¹Porque nós, que vivemos, estamos sempre entregues á morte por amor de Jesus, para que a vida de Jesus se manifeste tambem em a nossa carne mortal.

¹²De maneira que em nós obra a morte, porém em vós a vida.

¹³E temos portanto o mesmo espirito de fé, como está escripto: Cri, por isso fallei: nós cremos tambem, por isso tambem fallamos.

¹⁴Sabendo que o que resuscitou o Senhor Jesus, nos resuscitará tambem por Jesus; e nos collocará comvosco.

¹⁵Porque todas estas coisas são por amor de vós, para que a graça, que abunda pela acção de graças de muitos abunde para gloria de Deus.

¹⁶Por isso não desfallecemos: mas, ainda que o nosso homem exterior se corrompa, o interior, comtudo, se renova de dia em dia,

¹⁷Porque a nossa leve e momentanea tribulação produz-nos um peso eterno de gloria mui excellente;

¹⁸Não attentando nós nas coisas que se vêem, mas nas que se não vêem; porque as que se vêem são temporaes, e as que se não vêem são eternas.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul describes the Christian ministry as a precious treasure kept in fragile jars of clay, showing that the power comes from God, not from human strength. Despite constant suffering, he holds on to hope because present afflictions are fleeting compared to the eternal glory to come.

Explanation

The image of “jars of clay” was highly significant to the first readers: common, inexpensive clay pots were used to store valuable items, and when broken they revealed what they contained. Paul applies this to the human body itself, fragile as it is, carrying the glorious message of the gospel — human frailty does not diminish the value of the message; in fact, it makes plain that the power belongs to God, not to the messenger. The list of contrasts (“troubled, but not distressed... persecuted, but not forsaken”) describes the real experience of suffering accompanied by divine sustaining. The conclusion that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment” produces “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” teaches a long-term perspective on life's hardships, fixing our eyes on what is eternal rather than only on what is seen.

Fun facts

Archaeologists have found countless fragments of common clay vessels in excavations of first-century cities, confirming that this was a perfect everyday object to illustrate something fragile, yet functional and valuable for what it held.
The expression 'the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal' (v.18) reflects a recurring theme throughout Paul's writings about the difference between the visible physical reality and the lasting spiritual reality.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Coríntios 4:1Paul returns to the theme of the previous chapter (the glorious ministry of the Spirit) to say that, having received this task by God's mercy, he does not lose heart, even facing the hardships he describes next.
2 Coríntios 4:2He describes how he carries out his work: rejecting disguises and craftiness, not distorting God's message, letting the conscience of every listener bear witness to his sincerity before God.
2 Coríntios 4:3He acknowledges that, even preaching with sincerity, some people don't understand the gospel — but that isn't a flaw in the message, it's something that only affects those already perishing, as the next verse explains.
2 Coríntios 4:4The phrase “the god of this world” is a way of referring to Satan as one who holds influence over the world's mindset. Paul says this influence blinds people so they cannot see the message about Christ.
2 Coríntios 4:5He makes the real target of his preaching clear: it isn't self-promotion, it's proclaiming Christ as Lord — Paul defines himself only as the Corinthians' servant, for Jesus' sake.
2 Coríntios 4:6He compares the beginning of creation, when God made light shine out of darkness (Genesis 1), with the experience of knowing God: the same light now shines within the heart of the believer, revealing who Christ is.
2 Coríntios 4:7The phrase “earthen vessels” refers to common, fragile pots used in everyday life, quite different from vessels of gold or silver. Paul compares that to the human body itself, fragile, carrying something precious — the gospel — precisely to make clear that the power comes from God, not from the person.
2 Coríntios 4:8He begins a series of contrasts about the apostle's life: troubled but not without a way out, perplexed at times but never without hope — the suffering is real, but it never fully wins.
2 Coríntios 4:9He continues the list of contrasts: persecuted but never abandoned by God, cast down but never destroyed for good — showing how physical suffering doesn't mean spiritual defeat.
2 Coríntios 4:10The phrase “the dying of the Lord Jesus” speaks of the constant suffering Paul carried because of his apostolic work, like an echo of Jesus' own death. He saw this as part of the same process that also displays Christ's life through him.
2 Coríntios 4:11He reinforces the previous verse's idea of carrying Jesus' death in the body: the constant risk of death Paul faces serves, paradoxically, to make Jesus' life visible in his mortal flesh.
2 Coríntios 4:12He sums up the paradox: the suffering and risk of death Paul faces in preaching (“death worketh in us”) end up producing spiritual life in the Corinthians themselves.
2 Coríntios 4:13He quotes a psalm (116:10) about speaking because of faith, applying it to his own situation: Paul has the same spirit of confidence that led the psalmist to speak even in the midst of suffering.
2 Coríntios 4:14He bases all this confidence on the resurrection: just as God raised up the Lord Jesus, Paul is certain that he too will be raised up, and presented together with the Corinthians themselves.
2 Coríntios 4:15He explains the purpose of all this — suffering, preaching, future resurrection: to benefit the Corinthians, causing God's grace to multiply through ever-increasing thanksgiving.
2 Coríntios 4:16He repeats the statement from the beginning of the chapter about not losing heart: even as the physical body (“our outward man”) ages and wears down, the inner life is being renewed every day.
2 Coríntios 4:17Paul calls his suffering “light affliction, which is but for a moment,” which sounds strange since he describes harsh persecutions in other letters. The comparison only makes sense because he's weighing it against eternity — on that scale, even the worst human suffering looks small.
2 Coríntios 4:18He closes the chapter with the principle underlying it all: to focus not on what is seen (physical, passing suffering), but on what is not seen (the spiritual, eternal reality), because only that second thing lasts forever.

Chapters

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