Reviewing Paul's Thought

Transformation

Let's go back to some of the things Paul said prior to reaching that conclusion, so we will appreciate his perspective. Back in 3:18, he said, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." In that context he talked about the brilliance that glowed on the face of Moses after Israel's leader received the law on the summit of Sinai. Paul commented on the way that brilliance started to fade. He said the old covenant was like that. It was a temporary reality. Paul saw something very different taking place in the lives of Christians. He said that we are "being transformed." Moses reflected the glory of God, but it faded. The Christian reflects the glory of God and it increases.

Notice the connecting word "therefore" in 4:1. That's another thing Miss Mac taught me. "Therefore" is a bridge between his previous point and the one he was about to make. "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." What ministry was he thinking about? In 3:9, he identified it as the "ministry of righteousness." The ministry of righteousness is given credibility by the transformed life. That becomes the basis of encouragement for Christians. He repeatedly urged his readers not to lose heart (verses 1 and 16).

Overcoming Deception

Paul wanted his readers to understand the existence of a powerful, malignant, evil personality in the world. He identified him as the "god of this age" (verse 4). This sinister being specializes in deception and distortion. He has the ability to make real things look like an illusion. He relabels things and makes it appear that fantasy has substance. Paul wanted us to see through the devil's clever traps. He noted that it was God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," God also "made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (verse 6). The apostle helps us to see that it is Jesus Christ who defines reality, not the newspapers, not the guests on talk shows, not entertainment figures, stock brokers and sports stars.

Dealing with the Opposition

Don't think you're home free just because the Lord's light exposes the deception of the god of this age. The devil will inevitably lash out in retaliation. Yes, even though we live in frail, earthly bodies, the light of the gospel makes us aware that we possess a treasure. Yes, we have "all-surpassing power" from God. But the devil is not going to give up.

Once I was preparing to go on the air at a Christian radio station. We were recording very early in the morning (for the life of me I don't remember why). The disc jockey was not a morning person and he was having a hard time getting started. Jokingly I said, "Maybe the devil's giving you trouble this morning." He snapped out of his lethargy. He said, "If the devil isn't giving you trouble, you'd better check." And that's true. Paul says that trouble is normal in the life of a Christian.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (verses 8-9)

Can we really trust these words of assurance from the apostle? How did he know for sure?

He simply asked his readers to consider the death statistics. In his day it was one out of one. In our day, the mortality rate is 100 percent. You don't have to be a rocket scientists to figure that one out. Paul used different terminology, "Outwardly, we are wasting away" (verse 16).

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