Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; 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 temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." — 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ASV)

After mentioning the patience the Apostle showed in tribulations and revealing the reward they expected, he then discusses the cause and method of patience. In this regard, he does three things:

1. He alludes to the patience of the saints.
2. He explains the cause of patience (verse 16b).
3. He describes the reward of patience (verse 17).

Concerning the first point, he intends to show that the patience of the saints is unconquerable. Therefore, he says, so—that is, because we know that he who raised Jesus from the dead will also raise us and place us with you—therefore we do not lose heart. This means we do not lose heart in our tribulations or become so overwhelmed that we can no longer bear and endure for Christ. For to lose heart is the same as being unable to bear it: I was wearied, not being able to bear it (Jeremiah 20:9).

The reason we do not fail is that although we are wasting away in our outer self, we are being renewed in our inner self. Therefore, he says, though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.

It should be noted here that, prompted by these words, a certain heretic named Tertullian claimed that the rational soul, which is in a person’s body, has a bodily shape and members just as the body does; and this, he said, is the “inward man.” This, of course, is false.

To understand this passage, we must recognize that, according to the Philosopher in Ethics 9.9, and in our common way of speaking, each thing is defined by what is most important in it. For example, the most important part of a city is its government and council, so that whatever they do, the city is said to do. Now, what is most important in a person can be judged either in truth or according to appearance. In truth, the most important part of a person is the mind. Therefore, in the judgment of spiritual people, the mind is called the “inward man.” But according to appearance, the most important part is the outward body with its senses. Therefore, in the judgment of those who consider only physical and perceptible things, who are focused on earthly things, and whose god is their belly, the body with its senses is called the “outward man.”

It is in this way, therefore, that the Apostle is speaking when he says that though our outer nature—that is, the body with its sentient life—is wasting away in tribulations, fasts, abstinences, and vigils (Our old self was crucified with him, Romans 6:6; Rottenness enters into my bones, Habakkuk 3:16), yet this inner man—that is, the mind or reason strengthened with the shield of faith—is being renewed.

This should be understood as follows: obsolescence is the path to decay, as Scripture says, And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:13). Human nature was established in wholeness, and if it had remained in that state, it would have always been new. But through sin, it began to be corrupted. Consequently, everything that followed—such as ignorance, difficulty in doing good, inclination to evil, and punishment—all pertains to this “oldness.” Therefore, when human nature is rid of the results of sin, it is said to be renewed.

This removal of sin's effects begins in the saints here on earth but is perfectly completed in heaven. Here, the oldness of sin is cast off, for the spirit removes it and is subjected to the newness of righteousness. Here, the intellect removes errors and takes on the newness of truth. In this way, the inner man, the soul, is renewed: Be renewed in the spirit of your minds (Ephesians 4:23). In heaven, however, even the oldness of punishment is removed. Thus, there will be a complete renewal there: Your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalms 103:5). And because the saints advance daily in purity of conscience and knowledge of divine things, the Apostle says this renewal happens every day: Ascending in his heart (Psalms 84:7, Vulgate). Consequently, patience is unconquerable because it is renewed day by day.

The third point, the cause of this patience, is the recognition of a reward. This recognition is most effective because, according to Gregory, it lessens the sting of affliction. This is what the Apostle says: For this present, slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. It is as if he is saying: the tribulations we suffer here are nothing if we consider the glory we obtain from them. Therefore, he compares the condition of the saints in this life to their condition in heaven, mentioning five corresponding aspects of each state.

Regarding our present life, he notes five qualities of our affliction:

• It is slight and, in a sense, insignificant. He calls it this affliction, meaning the least: For a brief moment I forsook you (Isaiah 54:7).
• It is transitory. He calls it present, belonging to this life of affliction and toil: The life of man is warfare (Job 7:1, Vulgate).
• It is short-lived. He calls it momentary: For a moment I hid my face from you (Isaiah 54:8). The entire duration of this present life is but a moment compared to eternity.
• It is light. He calls it slight. For although he said earlier (in 2 Corinthians 1:8), “We were crushed,” because the body is heavy, affliction is very light to a spirit inflamed with love. As Augustine says, “Love makes all that is heavy and huge seem easy and almost nothing.”
• It is punitive. He calls it our affliction: I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him (Micah 7:9).

In contrast, regarding the state of happiness, he lays down five corresponding qualities of the reward:

• In contrast to our affliction being this (slight), the glory is beyond all comparison. As he says elsewhere, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). An objection might be raised from the verse, He will give to each one according to his works (Matthew 16:27), which seems to imply a comparison, not something beyond measure. I answer that the word “according” does not denote an equality of amount, as if a person will be rewarded with a specific quantity for a specific merit, but an equality of proportion, so that one who merits more will receive a greater reward.
• In contrast to our affliction being present, the glory is exceedingly great, in an excellent state without disturbance: I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth (Isaiah 58:14).
• In contrast to our affliction being momentary, the glory is eternal: Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads (Isaiah 35:10).
• In contrast to our affliction being light, the glory is a weight. He calls it a weight for two reasons. First, a weight inclines and draws all things under it into its motion. In the same way, eternal glory will be so great that it will make the whole person—soul and body—glorious. Nothing in the person will resist the impulse of glory. Second, it is called a weight because it is precious, for only precious things are weighed.
• In contrast to our affliction, there is glory.

The phrase of glory can also be understood as applying to all four qualities of the heavenly state, just as of our affliction applies to the four qualities of our present life. This glory is preparing for us, meaning that the tribulations we suffer are the cause and merit for which God confers that glory upon us. And so, the patience of the saints is unconquerable, their reward is indescribable, and the compensation for their reward is right and delightful.

Therefore, he concludes by giving the reason: because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. It is as if he is saying: although the things we hope for are yet to come, and in the meantime our body is wasting away, we are nevertheless renewed because we do not focus on temporal things, but on eternal things. This is why our affliction prepares a weight of glory for us—for us, that is, who are not paying attention to the things that are seen (earthly things), but to the things that are unseen (heavenly things): Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13); Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). And why do we look to heavenly things? Because, as the Apostle says, the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. As Isaiah confirms, My salvation will be forever (Isaiah 51:6).