Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Corinthians 4

Introduction to 2 Corinthians Chapter 4

This chapter is intimately connected with the preceding one and is, indeed, merely a statement of the consequences or results of the doctrine advanced there. In that chapter, Paul had stated the clearness and plainness of the gospel as contrasted with the institutions of Moses, and particularly that the Christian ministry was a ministration more glorious than that of Moses.

It was more clear. It was a ministration of justification (2 Corinthians 3:9) and of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:8), and was a ministration where they were permitted to look upon the unveiled and unclouded glories of God (2 Corinthians 3:18). In this chapter, he states some of the consequences, or results, of their being called to this ministry. The design is to magnify the office of the ministry; to show the sustaining power of the truths which they preached; the interest which the Corinthian Christians and all other Christians had in the ministry, and thus to conciliate their favor; and to show what there was to comfort them in the various trials to which as ministers they were exposed. Paul therefore states in this chapter:

1. That these clear and elevated views of the gospel sustained him; kept him from fainting; preserved him from deceit and all improper acts; made him open and honest; since he had no necessity for craft and guilt but proclaimed a system of religion which could be commended to every man's conscience and be seen to be true (2 Corinthians 4:1–2).
2. That if any persons were lost, it was not the fault of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). That was clear, open, plain, glorious, and might be understood; and if they were lost, it was to be traced to the malign influence of the god of this world, and not to the gospel.
3. That the great purpose of Paul and his associates was to make known this clear and glorious truth of the gospel; and that, therefore, the apostles did not preach themselves, but Christ Jesus, the revealer and source of all this glory (2 Corinthians 4:5–6). Their sole object was to show forth this pure and glorious light of the gospel.
4. That it was so arranged by God's appointment and providence that all the glory of the results of the ministry should be his (2 Corinthians 4:7–11). He had taken special care that they should have no cause of self-exultation or glorying in preaching the gospel, and had taken effectual means that they should be humbled, and not lifted up with pride from the fact that they were commissioned to make known such glorious truths and had a ministry more honorable than that of Moses. He had, therefore, committed the treasure to earthen vessels; to frail, weak, dying men, and to men in humble life (2 Corinthians 4:7); and he had called them to submit to constant trials of persecution, poverty, peril, and want, in order that they might be humbled, and that God might manifestly have all the glory (2 Corinthians 4:8–11).
5. All this was for the sake of the church—a fact which was adapted to conciliate the favor of Christians, excite their sympathy in the sufferings of the apostles, and lead them to honor the ministry in a proper manner (2 Corinthians 4:12–15). It was not for their own welfare, happiness, honor, or emolument that they endured these trials in the ministry; it was that the church might be benefited, and thus abundant praise redound to God.
6. These considerations sustained them in their trials (2 Corinthians 4:16–18). They had comfort in all their afflictions. They felt that they were doing and suffering these things for the salvation of souls and the glory of God (2 Corinthians 5:16); they had inward strength given them every day, though the outward man perished (2 Corinthians 4:16); they knew that the result of this would be an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17); and they were enabled to look to another and a better world, to keep the eye on heaven, and to contemplate by faith the things which were unseen and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). These things supported them; and thus upheld, they went cheerfully to their great work and met with calmness and joy all the trials which it involved.

Therefore, dia touto. On account of this. That is, because the light of the gospel is so clear, because it reveals such glorious truths, and all obscurity is taken away, and we are permitted to behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). Since the glories of the gospel dispensation are so great, and its effects on the heart are so transforming and purifying, the object is to show the effect of being entrusted with such a ministry on the character of his preaching.

Seeing we have this ministry: the gospel ministry, so much more glorious than that of Moses (2 Corinthians 3:6); which is the ministry by which the Holy Spirit acts on the hearts of men (2 Corinthians 3:8); which is the ministry of that system by which men are justified (2 Corinthians 3:9); and which is the ministry of a system so pure and unclouded (2 Corinthians 3:9–11, 18).

As we have received mercy. Tyndale renders this, even as mercy is sure in us. The idea is that it was by the mere mercy and favor of God that he had been entrusted with the ministry. The object of Paul is doubtless to prevent the appearance of arrogance and self-confidence by stating that it was to be traced entirely to God that he was put into the ministry.

He doubtless had his eye on the fact that he had been a persecutor and blasphemer, and that it was by the mere favor of God that he had been converted and entrusted with the ministry (1 Timothy 1:13).

Nothing will more effectually humble a minister and prevent his assuming any arrogant and self-confident airs than to look over his past life—especially if his life was one of blasphemy, vice, or infidelity—and to remember that it is by the mere mercy of God that he is entrusted with the high office of an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

Paul never forgot to trace his hope, his appointment to the ministerial office, and his success to the mere grace of God.

We faint not. This is one of the effects of being entrusted with such a ministry. The word here used (ekkakoumen) means, properly, to turn out a coward, to lose one's courage; then to be faint-hearted, to faint, to despond, in view of trial, difficulty, etc. — Robinson. Here it means that by the mercy of God he was not disheartened by the difficulties which he met; his faith and zeal did not flag; he was enabled to be faithful and laborious, and his courage always kept up, and his mind was filled with cheerfulness. (See Barnes' commentary on 2 Corinthians 2:14).

He was deterred by no difficulties, embarrassed by no opposition, driven from his purpose by no persecution, and his strength did not fail under any trials. The consciousness of being entrusted with such a ministry animated him, and the mercy and grace of God sustained him.

But have renounced (Greek: apeipametha, from apo and eipon). The word properly means to speak out or off; to refuse or deny; to interdict or forbid. Here it means to renounce or disown; to spurn or scorn with aversion. It occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The sense here is that the apostles had such a view of the truth of religion, and the glory of the Christian scheme (2 Corinthians 3:13–18), as to lead them to discard everything that was disguised, artful, and crafty—everything like deceit and fraud.

The religions of the heathen were made up mainly of trick and were supported by deception practiced on the ignorant and on the mass of people. Paul says that he and his fellow laborers had such views of the truth, glory, and holiness of the Christian scheme as to lead them solemnly to abjure and abhor all such dishonest tricks and devices. Truth never needs such arts, and no cause will long succeed by mere trick and cunning.

The hidden things of dishonesty. The marginal reading is shame. The Greek word most commonly means shame or disgrace. The “hidden things of shame” here mean disgraceful conduct: clandestine and secret arts, which were in themselves shameful and disgraceful. They denote all underhanded dealings, all dishonest artifices and plans, such as were common among the heathen, and such as the false teachers probably adopted in the propagation of their opinions at Corinth. The expression here does not imply that the apostles ever had anything to do with such arts, but that they solemnly abjured and abhorred them.

Religion is open, plain, straightforward. It has no alliance with cunning, trick, and artifice. It should be defended openly, stated clearly, and urged with steady argument. It is a work of light, and not of darkness.

Not walking in craftiness. This means not acting craftily, not behaving in a crafty manner. The word used here (panourgia, from pan, all, and ergon, work, that is, doing everything, or capable of doing anything) denotes shrewdness, cunning, and craft. This was common, and this was probably practiced by the false teachers in Corinth. Paul says he had nothing to do with this. He did not adopt a course of carnal wisdom and policy (see the notes on 2 Corinthians 1:12); he did not attempt to impose upon them, or to deceive them, or to make his way by subtle and deceitful arts. True religion can never be advanced by trick and craftiness.

Nor handling the word of God deceitfully (Greek: dolountes). This means not falsifying, or deceitfully corrupting or disguising the truth of God. The phrase seems to be synonymous with that used in 2 Corinthians 2:17, and rendered, corrupt the word of God (see the notes on 2 Corinthians 2:17). It properly means to falsify, adulterate, or corrupt by Jewish traditions and so on (according to Robinson, Bloomfield, Doddridge, and others). Or it may mean, as in our translation, to handle in a deceitful manner; to make use of trick and art in propagating and defending it. Tyndale renders it, neither corrupt we the word of God.

But by manifestation of the truth. This means by making the truth manifest; that is, by a simple exhibition of the truth. It means stating it just as it is, in an undisguised and open manner. This is not done by adulterating it with foreign mixtures, not by mingling it with philosophy or traditions, not by blunting its edge, or concealing anything, or explaining it away, but by an open, plain, straightforward exhibition of it as it is in Jesus.

Preaching should consist in a simple exhibition of the truth. There is no deceit in the gospel itself, and there should be none in the manner of exhibiting it. It should consist of a simple statement of things as they are. The whole design of preaching is to make known the truth. And this is done in an effectual manner only when it is simple, open, undisguised, without craft, and without deceit.

Commending ourselves to every man's conscience. That is, so speaking the truth that every man's conscience shall approve it as true; every man shall see it to be true, and to be in accordance with what he knows to be right. Conscience is that faculty of the mind which distinguishes between right and wrong, and which prompts us to choose the former and avoid the latter (John 8:9; see also the notes on Romans 2:15; 1 Corinthians 10:25, 27, 29; 2 Corinthians 1:12).

It is implied here:

1. That a course of life and a manner of preaching that shall be free from dishonesty, art, and trick will be such as the consciences of men will approve. Paul sought such a course of life as should accord with their sense of right, and thus serve to commend the gospel to them.

2. That the gospel may be so preached as to be seen by men to be true, so as to be approved as right, and so that every man's conscience shall bear testimony to its truth. Men do not love it, but they may see that it is true; they may hate it, but they may see that the truth which condemns their practices is from heaven.

This is an exceedingly important principle regarding preaching, and vastly momentous in its bearing on the views which ministers should have of their own work. The gospel is reasonable. It may be seen to be true by every man to whom it is preached. And it should be the aim of every preacher so to preach it as to enlist the consciences of his hearers in his favor. And it is a very material fact that when so preached, the conscience and reason of every man is in its favor, and they know that it is true even when it pronounces their own condemnation and denounces their own sins.

This passage proves, therefore, the following things:

1. That the gospel may be so preached as to be seen to be true by all men. Men are capable of seeing the truth; and even when they do not love it, they can perceive that it has demonstration that it is from God. It is a system so reasonable; so well established by evidence; so fortified by miracles and the fulfillment of prophecies; so pure in its nature; so well adapted to man; so fitted to his condition, and so well designed to make him better; and so happy in its influence on society, that men may be led to see that it is true.

   And this I take to be the case with almost all those who habitually attend on the preaching of the gospel. Infidels do not often visit the sanctuary; and when they are in the habit of doing it, it is a fact that they gradually come to the conviction that the Christian religion is true. It is rare to find professed infidels in our places of worship; and the great mass of those who attend on the preaching of the gospel may be set down as speculative believers in the truth of Christianity.

2. The consciences of men are on the side of truth, and the gospel may be so preached as to enlist their consciences in its favor. Conscience prompts to do right, and condemns us if we do wrong. It can never be made to approve of wrong, never to give a man peace if he does that which he knows to be evil.

   By no art or device; by no system of laws, or bad government; by no training or discipline, can it be made the advocate of sin. In all lands, at all times, and in all circumstances, it prompts a man to do what is right, and condemns him if he does wrong.

   It may be silenced for a time; it may be seared as with a hot iron, and for a time be insensible, but if it speak at all, it speaks to prompt a man to do what he believes to be right, and condemns him if he does that which is wrong. The consciences of men are on the side of the gospel; and it is only their hearts which are opposed to it. Their consciences are in favor of the gospel in the following, among other respects:

   • They approve of it as a just, pure, holy, and reasonable system; as in accordance with what they feel to be right; as recommending that which ought to be done, and forbidding that which ought not to be done.

   • In its special requirements on themselves. Their consciences tell them that they ought to love God with all the heart; to repent of their sins; to trust in that Savior who died for them, and to lead a life of prayer and of devotedness to the service of God; that they ought to be sincere and humble Christians, and prepare to meet God in peace.

   • Their consciences approve the truth that condemns them. No matter how strict it may seem to be; no matter how loud its denunciation against their sins; no matter how much the gospel may condemn their pride, avarice, sensuality, levity, dishonesty, fraud, intemperance, profaneness, blasphemy, or their neglect of their soul, yet their consciences approve of it as right, and proclaim that these things ought to be condemned, and ought to be abandoned. The heart may love them, but the conscience cannot be made to approve them. And the minister of the gospel may always approach his people, or an individual man, with the assurance that however much they may love the ways of sin, yet that he has their consciences in his favor; and that in urging the claims of God on them, their consciences will always coincide with his appeals.

3. The way in which a minister is to commend himself to the consciences of men is that which was pursued by Paul. He must:

   • Have a clear and unwavering conviction of the truth himself. On this subject he should have no doubt. He should be able to look on it as on a burnished mirror (see the notes on 2 Corinthians 3:18), and to see its glory as with open face.

   • It should be by the simple statement of the truth of the gospel. Not by preaching philosophy, or metaphysics, or the traditions of man, or the sentiments of theologians, but the simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Men may be made to see that these are truths, and God will take care that the reason and consciences of men shall be in their favor.

   • By the absence of all trick and cunning, and disguised and subtle arts. The gospel has nothing of these in itself, and it will never approve of them, nor will God bless them. A minister of Jesus should be frank, open, undisguised, and candid. He should make a sober and elevated appeal to the reason and conscience of man. The gospel is not a cunningly devised fable; it has no trick in itself, and the ministers of religion should solemnly abjure all the hidden things of dishonesty.

In the sight of God. As in the immediate presence of God. We act as if we felt that His eye was upon us; and this consideration serves to keep us from the hidden things of dishonesty, and from improper arts in spreading the true religion (see the notes on 2 Corinthians 2:17).

But if our gospel be hid. Paul here calls it his gospel because it was what he preached, or the message he bore. (See Barnes on Romans 16:5).

The meaning here is, "if the gospel I preach is not understood; if its meaning is obscure or hidden; if its glory is not seen." It is implied here that to many the beauty and glory of the gospel was not perceived. This was undeniable, notwithstanding the plainness and fullness with which its truths were made known.

Paul's object here is to state that this fact was not to be traced to any lack of clearness in the gospel itself, but to other causes—and thus probably to meet an objection that might be made to his argument about the clearness and fullness of the revelation in the gospel.

In the language Paul uses here, there is an undoubted allusion to what he had said respecting Moses, who put a veil on his face (2 Corinthians 3:13). He had hidden or concealed his face, as emblematic of the nature of his institutions (See Barnes on 2 Corinthians 3:14); and here Paul says that it was not to be denied that the gospel was also veiled to some. But it was not from the nature of the gospel. It was not because God had purposely concealed its meaning. It was not from any lack of clearness in itself. It was to be traced to other causes.

It is hid to them that are lost. On the meaning of the word rendered "lost" here (see Barnes on 2 Corinthians 2:15, where it is rendered "perish"). It is hidden among them, who are about to perish; who are perishing (en toiv apollumenoiv); those who deserve to perish. It is concealed only among that class who may be designated as the perishing, or as the lost. Grotius explains this: "those who deserve to perish, who foster their vices, and will not see the truth which condemns those vices." And he adds that this might very well be; for, "however conspicuous the gospel was in itself, yet like the sun it would not be visible to the blind." The cause was not in the gospel, but in themselves. This verse teaches, therefore:

1. That the beauty of the gospel may be hidden from many of the human family. This is a matter of simple fact. There are thousands and millions to whom it is preached who see no beauty in it and who regard it as foolishness.
2. That there is a class of men who may be called, even now, the lost. They are lost to virtue, to piety, to happiness, to hope. They deserve to perish and are hastening to merited ruin. This class in the time of Paul was large, and it is large now. It is composed of those to whom the gospel is hidden, or to whom it appears to be veiled, and who see no beauty in it. It is made up indeed of all the profane, polluted, and vile; but their characteristic feature is that the gospel is hidden from them, and that they see no beauty and glory in it.
3. This is not the fault of the gospel. It is not the fault of the sun when men shut their eyes and will not see it. It is not the fault of a running stream or a bubbling fountain if men will not drink of it but rather choose to die of thirst. The gospel does not obscure and conceal its own glory any more than the sun does. It is in itself a clear and full revelation of God and His grace, and that glory is adapted to shed light upon the benighted minds of men.

(The term "hid" may also be rendered "covered." For the phrase "that are lost," see 2 Thessalonians 2:10.)

In whom. In respect to whom; among whom; or in whose hearts. The design of this verse is to account for the fact that the glory of the gospel was not seen by them. It is to be traced entirely to the agency of him whom Paul here calls "the god of this world."

The god of this world. There can be no doubt that Satan is here designated by this appellation; though some of the Fathers supposed that it means the true God, and Clarke inclines to this opinion. In John 12:31, he is called "the prince of this world." In Ephesians 2:2, he is called "the prince of the power of the air." And in Ephesians 6:1-2, the same bad influence is referred to under the names of "principalities and powers," "the rulers of the darkness of this world," and "spiritual wickedness in high places." The name "god" is here given to him, not because he has any divine attributes, but because he actually has the homage of the men of this world as their god, as the being who is really worshipped, or who has the affections of their hearts in the same way as it is given to idols.

By "this world" is meant the wicked world, or the mass of men. He has dominion over the world. They obey his will; they execute his plans; they further his purposes, and they are his obedient subjects. He had subdued the world to himself and was really adored in the place of the true God. (See Barnes on 1 Corinthians 10:20).

"They sacrificed to devils and not to God." This is what is meant by the declaration that Satan is the god of this world.

1. That the world at large was under his control and direction. He secured the apostasy of man, and early brought him to follow his plans; and he has maintained his scepter and dominion since. No more abject submission could be desired by him than has been rendered by the mass of men.

2. The idolatrous world particularly is under his control, and subject to him (1 Corinthians 10:20). He is worshipped there; and the religious rites and ceremonies of the heathen are in general just such as a mighty being who hated human happiness, and who sought pollution, obscenity, wretchedness, and blood, would appoint; and over all the heathen world his power is absolute. In the time of Paul, all the world, except the Jews and Christians, was sunk in heathen degradation.

3. He rules in the hearts and lives of all wicked men—and the world is full of wicked men. They obey him and submit to his will in executing fraud, plunder, piracy, murder, adultery, and lewdness; in wars and fightings; in their amusements and pastimes; in dishonesty and falsehood. The dominion of Satan over this world has been, and is still, almost universal and absolute; nor has the lapse of eighteen hundred years rendered the appellation improper as descriptive of his influence, that he is the god of this world. The world pursues his plans; yields to his temptations; neglects or rejects the reign of God as he pleases; and submits to his scepter, and is still full of abomination, cruelty, and pollution, as he desires it to be.

Has blinded the minds of those who believe not. Of all who discern no beauty in the gospel, and who reject it. It is implied here,

1. That the minds of unbelievers are blinded; that they perceive no beauty in the gospel. This is often affirmed of those who reject the gospel and who live in sin. (See Barnes on 2 Corinthians 2:13).

See Matthew 23:16-17, 26; Luke 4:18; John 9:39; John 12:40; Romans 11:7.

The sense is, that they did not see the spiritual beauty and glory of the plan of redemption. They act in reference to that as they would in reference to this world if a bandage were over their eyes, and they saw not the light of the sun, the beauty of the landscape, the path in which they should go, or the countenance of a friend. All is dark, and obscure, and destitute of beauty to them, however much beauty may be seen in all these objects by others.

1. That this is done by the agency of Satan; and that his dominion is secured by keeping the world in darkness. The affirmation is direct and positive, that it is by his agency that it is done. Some of the modes in which it is done are the following:

   • By a direct influence on the minds of men. I do not know why it is absurd to suppose that one intellect may, in some way unknown to us, have access to another and have power to influence it.

     Nor can it be proved that Satan may not have power to pervert the understanding, to derange its powers, to distract its attention, and to give the mind a wholly delusive view of the relative importance of objects.

     In the time of the Savior, it cannot be doubted that in the numerous cases of demoniacal possessions, Satan directly affected the minds of men; nor is there any reason to think that he has ceased to delude and destroy them.

   • By the false philosophy which has prevailed—a large part of which seems to have been contrived as if on purpose to deceive the world and destroy the peace and happiness of men.

   • By the systems of superstition and idolatry. All these seem to be under the control of one master mind. They are so well conceived and adapted to prostrate the moral powers; to fetter the intellect; to pervert the will; to make men debased, sunken, polluted, and degraded; and they so uniformly accomplish this effect, that they have all the marks of being under the control of one mighty mind, and of having been devised to accomplish his purposes over men.

   • By producing in the minds of men a wholly disproportionate view of the value of objects. A very small object held before the eye will shut out the light of the sun. A piece of money of the smallest value laid on the eye will make everything appear dark and prevent all the glory of mid-day from reaching the seat of vision. And so it is with the things of this world. They are placed directly before us and are placed directly between us and the glory of the gospel. And the trifles of wealth and of fashion, the objects of pleasure and ambition, are made to assume an importance to the mind which wholly excludes the glory of the gospel and shuts out all the realities of the eternal world. And he does it

   • By the blinding influence of passion and vice. Before a vicious mind, all is dark and obscure. There is no beauty in truth, in chastity or honesty, or in the fear and love of God. Vice always renders the mind blind, and the heart hard, and shrouds everything in the moral world in midnight.

     And in order to blind the minds of men to the glory of the gospel, Satan has only to place splendid schemes of speculation before them; to tempt them to climb the steep paths of ambition; to entice them to scenes of gaiety; to secure the erection of theatres, gambling-houses, and houses of infamy and pollution; to fill the cities and towns of a land with taverns and bars; and to give opportunity everywhere for the full play and unrestrained indulgence of passion—and the glory of the gospel will be as effectually unseen as the glory of the sun is in the darkest night.

Lest the light, etc. This passage states the design for which Satan blinds the minds of men. It is because he hates the gospel and wishes to prevent its influence and spread in the world. Satan has always hated and opposed it, and all his arts have been employed to arrest its diffusion on earth.

The word light here means excellence, beauty, or splendour. Light is the emblem of knowledge, purity, or innocence; and is here and elsewhere applied to the gospel, because it removes the errors, sins, and wretchedness of men, as the light of the sun scatters the shades of night. This purpose of preventing the light of the gospel shining on men, Satan will endeavor to accomplish by all the means in his power.

This is his grand object in this world. For it is by the gospel alone that man can be saved, and by it God is glorified on earth more than by anything else. Therefore, if he can prevent sinners from embracing the gospel, he will secure their destruction and most effectively show his hatred of God.

And it is to Satan a matter of little importance what men may be, or are, provided they are NOT Christians. They may be amiable, moral, accomplished, rich, honored, esteemed by the world, because in the possession of all these he may be equally sure of their ruin, and because, also, these things may contribute somewhat to turn away their minds from the gospel.

Satan, therefore, will not oppose plans of gain or ambition; he will not oppose purposes of fashion and amusement; he may not oppose schemes by which we desire to rise in the world; he will not oppose the theatre, the ball-room, the dance, or the song; he will not oppose thoughtless mirth; but the moment the gospel begins to shine on the benighted mind, that moment he will make resistance, and then all his power will be concentrated.

The glorious gospel. The Greek is, "The gospel of the glory of Christ"—a Hebraism for the glorious gospel. Mr. Locke renders it, "the glorious brightness of the light of the gospel of Christ," and supposes it means the brightness, or clearness, of the doctrine in which Christ is manifested in the gospel.

It is all light, and splendour, and beauty, compared with the dark systems of philosophy and heathenism. It is glorious, for it is full of splendour; makes known the glorious God; discloses a glorious plan of salvation; and conducts ignorant, weak, and degraded man to a world of light. No two words in our language are so full of rich and precious meaning as the phrase "glorious gospel."

Who is the image of God. Christ is called the image of God,

1. In respect to his Divine nature, his exact resemblance to God in his Divine attributes and perfections (Hebrews 1:3); and

2. In his moral attributes as Mediator, as showing forth the glory of the Father to men.

   He resembles God; and in him we see the Divine glory and perfections embodied and shine forth.

   It is from his resemblance to God in all respects that he is called his image, and it is through him that the Divine perfections are made known to men.

   It is an object of especial dislike and hatred to Satan that the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on men and fill their hearts. Satan hates that image; he hates that men should become like God; and he hates all that has a resemblance to the great and glorious Jehovah.

For we preach not ourselves. The connection here is not very apparent, and the design of this verse has been variously understood. The connection seems to me to be this: Paul gives here a reason for what he had said in the previous parts of the epistle respecting his conduct in the ministry. He had said that his course had been open and pure, free from all dishonest arts and tricks, and that he had not corrupted the word of God or resorted to any artifice to accomplish his designs (2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 4:1–2).

The reason for this, he says here, is that he had not preached himself or sought to advance his own interest. He regarded himself as sent to make known a Savior, as bound by all means to promote His cause and to imitate Him. Other men—the false teachers and the cunning priests of the heathen religions—sought to advance their own interest and to perpetuate a system of delusion that would be profitable to themselves. They therefore resorted to all arts, stratagems, and cunning devices to perpetuate their authority and extend their influence.

But the fact that Paul and his associates went forth to make known the Lord Jesus was a reason why they avoided all such dishonest arts and artifices. "We are merely the ambassadors of another. We are not principals in this business and do not dispatch it as a business of our own, but we transact it as the agents for another—that is, for the Lord Jesus. We feel ourselves bound, therefore, to do it as He would have done it Himself; and as He was free from all trick and dishonest art, we feel bound to be also." This seems to me to be the design of this passage. Ministers may be said to preach themselves in the following ways:

1. When their preaching has a primary reference to their own interest, and when they engage in it to advance their reputation or to secure in some way their own advantage. When they aim at exalting their authority, extending their influence, or in any way promoting their own welfare.
2. When they proclaim their own opinions and not the gospel of Christ; when they derive their doctrines from their own reasonings and not from the Bible.
3. When they put themselves forward, speak much of themselves, refer often to themselves, are vain of their powers of reasoning, of their eloquence, and of their learning, and seek to make these known rather than the simple truths of the gospel. In one word, when self is primary and the gospel is secondary; when they prostitute the ministry to gain popularity, to live a life of ease, to be respected, to obtain a livelihood, to gain influence, to rule over a people, and to make the preaching of the gospel merely an occasion of advancing themselves in the world. Such a plan, it is implied here, would lead to dishonest arts and devices, and to trick and stratagem to accomplish the end in view. It is also implied here that to avoid all such tricks and arts, the true way is not to preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ.

But Christ Jesus the Lord. This Paul states to be the only purpose of the ministry. To such an extent is it the sole design of the ministry that, if it had not been to make known the Lord Jesus, it would never have been established. And, whatever other objects are secured by its appointment, and whatever other truths are to be illustrated and enforced by the ministry, yet if this is not the primary subject, and if every other object is not made subservient to this, the design of the ministry is not secured. The word "Christ" properly means the Anointed—that is, the Messiah, the Anointed of God for this great office (see the note on Matthew 1:1).

However, it is used in the New Testament as a proper name, the name that was appropriate to Jesus. Still, it may be used with a reference to the fact of the Messiahship, and not merely as a proper name. In this place, it may mean that they preached Jesus as the Messiah, or the Christ, and defended His claims to that high appointment.

The word "Lord" is also used to designate Him (Mark 11:3; John 20:25). When it stands by itself in the New Testament, it denotes the Lord Jesus (see the note on Acts 1:24). But it properly denotes one who has rule, authority, or proprietorship. And it is used here not merely as a part of the appropriate title of the Savior, but with reference to the fact that He had the supreme headship or lordship over the church and the world.

This important passage therefore means that they made it their sole business to make known Jesus the Messiah, or the Christ, as the supreme liege and Lord of His people; that is, to set forth the Messiahship and the lordship of Jesus of Nazareth, appointed to these high offices by God. To do this, or to preach Jesus Christ the Lord, implies the following things:

1. To prove that He is the Messiah, so often predicted in the Old Testament and so long expected by the Jewish people. This was a very vital part of the work of the ministry in the time of the apostles and was essential to their success in all their attempts to convert the Jews. And to do this will be no less important in all attempts to bring the Jews now or in future times to the knowledge of the truth.

   No one can be successful among them who is not able to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. It is not, indeed, so vital and leading a point now in reference to those to whom the ministers of the gospel usually preach; and it is probable that the importance of this argument is overlooked by many and that it is not urged as it should be by those who "preach Christ Jesus the Lord." It involves the whole argument for the truth of Christianity. It leads to all the demonstrations that this religion is from God; and the establishment of the proposition that Jesus is the Messiah is one of the most direct and certain ways of proving that His religion is from heaven. For:

   • it contains the argument from the fulfillment of the prophecies—one of the main evidences of the truth of revelation; and
   • it involves an examination of all the evidences that Jesus gave that He was the Messiah sent from God, and of course an examination of all the miracles that He wrought in attestation of His divine mission. The first object of a preacher, therefore, is to demonstrate that Jesus is sent from God, in accordance with the predictions of the prophets.
2. To proclaim the truths that He taught; to make known His sentiments and His doctrines, not our own. This includes, of course, all that He taught respecting God and man; all that He taught respecting His own nature and the design of His coming; all that He taught respecting the character of the human heart and human obligation and duty; all that He taught respecting death, the judgment, and eternity—respecting an eternal heaven and an eternal hell.

   To explain, enforce, and vindicate His doctrines is one great design of the ministry; and if there were nothing else, this would be a field sufficiently ample to employ a life, sufficiently glorious to employ the best talents of humankind. The minister of the gospel is to teach the sentiments and doctrines of Jesus Christ, in contradistinction from all his own sentiments and from all the doctrines of mere philosophy. He is not to teach science or mere morals, but he is to proclaim and defend the doctrines of the Redeemer.

3. He is to make known the facts of the Savior's life. He is to show how He lived—to hold up His example in all the trying circumstances in which He was placed. For He came to show by His life what the law required and to show how people should live.

   And it is the office of the Christian ministry, or a part of their work in preaching "Christ Jesus the Lord," to show how He lived, and to set forth His self-denial, His meekness, His purity, His blameless life, His spirit of prayer, His submission to the Divine will, His patience in suffering, His forgiveness of His enemies, His tenderness to the afflicted, the weak, and the tempted, and the manner of His death.

   If this were all, it would be enough to employ the whole of a minister's life and to command the best talents of the world. For He was the only perfectly pure model; His example is to be followed by all His people, and His example is designed to exert a deep and wide influence on the world.

   Piety flourishes just in proportion as the pure example of Jesus Christ is kept before a people, and the world is made happier and better just as that example is kept constantly in view. To the gay and the thoughtless, the ministers of the gospel are to show how serious and calm the Redeemer was; to the worldly-minded, to show how He lived above the world; to the avaricious, how benevolent He was; to the profane and licentious, how pure He was; to the tempted, how He endured temptation; to the afflicted, how patient and resigned He was; to the dying, how He died. To all, they are to show how holy, heavenly-minded, prayerful, and pure He was, so that they may be won to the same purity and be prepared to dwell with Him in His kingdom.

4. To set forth the design of His death. To show why He came to die, and what was the great object to be effected by His sufferings and death. To exhibit, therefore, the sorrows of His life; to describe His many trials; to dwell upon His sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.

   To show why He died, and what was to be the influence of His death on the destiny of humankind. To show how it makes an atonement for sin, how it reconciles God to humanity, how it is made efficacious in the justification and the sanctification of the sinner. And if there were nothing else, this would be sufficient to employ all the time and the best talents in the ministry.

   For the salvation of the soul depends on the proper exhibition of the design of the death of the Redeemer. There is no salvation but through His blood; and hence the nature and design of His atoning sacrifice is to be exhibited to everyone, and the offers of mercy through that death are to be pressed upon the attention of every sinner.

5. To set forth the truth and the design of His resurrection. To prove that He rose from the dead and that He ascended to heaven; and to show the influence of His resurrection on our hopes and destiny. The whole structure of Christianity is dependent on establishing the fact that He rose; and if He rose, all the difficulties in the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead are removed at once, and His people will also rise. The influence of that fact, therefore, on our hopes and on our prospects for eternity, is to be shown by the ministry of the gospel. And if there were nothing else, this would be ample to command all the time and the best talents of the ministry.
6. To proclaim Him as "Lord." This is expressly specified in the passage before us: For we preach Christ Jesus THE LORD; we proclaim Him as the Lord. That is, He is to be preached as having dominion over the conscience and as the supreme Ruler in His church, above all councils, synods, conferences, and all human authority. He is to be preached as having a right to legislate for His people, a right to prescribe their mode of worship, and a right to define and determine the doctrines which they shall believe. He is also to be proclaimed as ruling over all, as exalted in His mediatorial character over all worlds, and as having all things put beneath His feet (Psalms 2:6; Isaiah 9:6–7; Matthew 28:18; John 17:2; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 2:8).

And ourselves your servants, etc. Insofar as we make any mention of ourselves, it is to declare that we are your servants and that we are bound to promote your welfare in the cause and for the sake of the Redeemer. That is, they were their servants in all things in which they could advance the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom among them. The doctrine is that they regarded themselves as under obligation not to seek their own interest or to build up their own reputation and cause, but to seek the welfare of the church and promote its interests, as a servant does that of his master. They should not seek to lord it over God's heritage and to claim supreme and independent authority. They were not masters, but servants. The church at large was the master, and they were its servants. This implies the following things:

1. That the time of ministers belongs to the church and should be employed in its welfare. It is not their own; and it is not to be employed in farming, speculating, trafficking, idleness, lounging, unprofitable visiting, mere science, or in reading or making books that will not advance the interests of the church. The time of the ministry is not for ease, ambition, or self-indulgence, but is to promote the interests of the Body of Christ. So Paul felt, and so he lived.
2. Their talents belong to the church. All their original talents, and all that they can acquire, should be honestly devoted to the welfare of the church of the Redeemer.
3. Their best efforts and plans, the results of their best thoughts and purposes, belong to the church and should be honestly devoted to it. Their strength, vigor, and influence should be devoted to it, as the vigor, strength, talent, and skill of a servant belong to the master . The language of the ministry, as of every Christian, should be:

   I love Your church, O God,
   Her walls before You stand,
   Dear as the apple of Your eye,
   And engraved on Your hand.
   
   If ever to bless Your sons
   My voice or hands deny,
   These hands let useful skill forsake,
   This voice in silence die.
   
   If ever my heart forget
   Her welfare or her woe,
   Let every joy this heart forsake,
   And every grief overflow.
   
   For her my tears shall fall,
   For her my prayers ascend,
   To her my cares and toils be given,
   Till toils and cares shall end.

4. And it implies that they are the servants of the church in time of trial, temptation, and affliction. They are to devote themselves to the comfort of the afflicted. They are to be the guide to the perplexed. They are to aid the tempted. They are to comfort those that mourn, and they are to sustain and console the dying.

   They are to regard themselves as the servants of the church to accomplish these great objects and are to be willing to deny themselves, take up their cross, and consecrate their time to the advancement of these great interests. And they are, in all respects, to devote their time, talents, and influence to the welfare of the church with as much single-mindedness as a servant is to seek the interest of his master. It was in this way eminently that Paul was favored with the success with which God blessed him in the ministry; and so every minister will be successful, just in proportion to the single-mindedness with which he devotes himself to the work of preaching Jesus Christ THE LORD.