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2Cor.4:1. Therefore, having such a ministry by the grace of God, we do not lose heart. “For this reason, we who have this service, as if we had received mercy, do not feel cold.” The Apostle made it clear that he called preachers the ministry of the Spirit. He said that he was worthy of this service through his love for mankind. That is why, he says, we bravely endure the sorrows that befall us. 2Cor.4:2. But, having rejected hidden, shameful deeds, without resorting to cunning or distorting the word of God, but by revealing the truth, we present ourselves to the conscience of every person before God. “But let us renounce secret shame.” This refers to circumcision, which was preached by those who believed among the Gentiles 2. He said this in another place: “But even as I counted my gain, I counted it as loss against Christ” (Phil. 3:7); and again: “But I count all the skill of being, that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8). “Not walking in wickedness, nor deceiving the flattering word of God, but presenting the truth to the whole conscience of mankind before God as a revelation.” Again he denounces them for distorting the Divine preaching with an admixture of the law, resorting to deceit and not simply presenting the teaching. But we, says Paul, have men as witnesses of the truth; sane and He Himself who disciplines the conscience. Then, since he said: “We, with revealed face, behold the glory of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18), but very many were blinded by the pus of unbelief and could not contemplate the Divine, then of necessity he added: 2 Cor.4:3. If our gospel is closed, it is closed to those who are perishing. “Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing.” The Apostle said this above: “For the stench of death we have the stench of death, and the stench of animals for the belly.” (2 Cor. 2:16). 2 Cor.4:4. For the unbelievers, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, should not shine for them. “In them is God” (there should be a punctuation mark here), “this age has blinded the minds of the infidels, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, will not shine upon them.” The apostle showed that unbelief is limited to the present age, for in the future life the truth is revealed to everyone. God blinded them, not by putting unbelief Himself, but when He saw their unbelief, not allowing them to see the hidden secrets. “Thou shalt not give,” said the saint, “to the dog: neither cast your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6); and again: “For this reason I speak unto them in parables, for those who see do not see, and those who hear do not understand” (Matthew 13:13). For understanding and faith are needed to partake of the light, and the sun is hostile to weak eyes. “Image” he called “God.” The Apostle of Christ, as God from God, because Christ shows the Father in Himself, which is why he says: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). 2 Cor.4:5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and we are your servants for Jesus. “For we preach not to ourselves, but to Christ Jesus the Lord: but for your own sake Jesus is your servants.” He wrote this in his First Epistle: “Let man hate us, as we are servants of Christ and builders of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1). And here he spoke about himself even more humbly, for he called himself a servant not only of Christ, but also of all believers, out of love for Christ, for this is what the words mean: “For Jesus’ sake.” 2 Cor.4:6. Because God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. “For the river God to shine forth from darkness into light, Who has risen in our hearts, to enlighten the minds of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” that is, Who of old with a word brought into being the nature of light and said: “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3), He now, not with that light, but with His own light, has illuminated our minds, so that we, through Christ Himself, may see His glory. And this: “in the face of Jesus Christ” has the following meaning: since the nature of God is invisible, it becomes, as much as possible, visible through the perceived humanity, illuminated by the Divine light and emitting a lightning-fast radiance. But it is also clear from this that it was not God, who generously gave everyone the radiance of rational light, who put unbelief in the unbelievers, but they themselves loved unbelief; God did not send them a “ray”, light, because they themselves did not want to see. 2 Cor.4:7. But we carry this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the superabundant power may be attributed to God, and not to us. “Imams, this treasure is in meager vessels, so that the abundance of power will be from God, and not from us.” since what was said about the preachers of the New Testament was important, and these preachers, as everyone saw, remained in the most difficult circumstances, the Apostle, of necessity, explained that this too preaches God’s power, and likens the given grace of the Spirit to a treasure, and the nature of the body to a meager vessel. The greatest sign of the power of God is that this nature, having taken upon itself thousands of blows, has not lost its treasures. Then the Apostle lists the temptations and shows God’s help commensurate with them. 2 Cor.4:8. We are oppressed on every side, but not constrained; We are in desperate circumstances, but we do not despair. 2 Cor.4:9. We are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are cast down, but we do not perish. “In everything we are sorrowful, but not cold; we have no hope, but we do not despair; we persecute, but we do not forsake; we cast down, but we do not perish.” If all this had not come to us, the greatness of God’s power would not have become apparent. But since we are likened to plants that bloom in fire, then by the very fact that, while suffering, we remain unharmed, we preach the power of God who protects us. And this: “without hope, but not in despair” means: in hopeless circumstances we find saving solutions for ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:10 We always carry about in our body the death of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. “We always bear the death of the Lord Jesus in the body, so that the life of Jesus may also appear in our body.” So the Apostle says in another place: “For as long as we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17). 2 Cor.4:11. For we who are alive are continually being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh. “For ever since we are alive, we are given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may appear in our dead flesh.” Therefore, we ourselves, with love for the Lord, face deadly dangers in order to become partakers of His life and, sacrificing temporary life, to accept the incorruptibility of the flesh. It is said: “forever” - for the accuracy of the wording, because the Apostle wanted to say: “we are alive.” 2 Cor.4:12. So death works in us, and life in you. “In the same way, death works in us, and life in you.” For for the sake of your salvation we are exposed to dangers, because we teach you the doctrine at the danger of ourselves. But since we are poor, you enjoy life. And as he mentioned immortal life, which is only in hope, but what is hoped for is invisible, he recalls the prophetic word, showing that even the ancient saints were illuminated by faith. 2 Cor.4:13. But having the same spirit of faith, as it is written: I believed, and therefore I spoke, and we believe, therefore we speak. “Having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, we believed the same words” (Ps. 115:1), “and we believe, we also speak the same words.” The Apostle very opportunely brought evidence, for blessed David, having said in the previous psalm: “For my soul is taken away from death, my eyes from tears, and my nose from creeping. I will be well-pleasing before the Lord in the land of the living" (Ps. 114:8-9), since the country itself was not visible to them, starting the next psalm, he said: "In faith, in the same words." But the same Spirit, says the Apostle, spoke through them, and speaks through us. 2 Corinthians 4:14. Knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us through Jesus and place us before Him with you. “Knowing that He will raise up the Lord Jesus and He will also raise us up with Jesus and present us with you.” The Sovereign Lord accepted death for everyone, so that we could all become partakers of the resurrection with Him. Therefore, we believe that God, through Him, will make us conquerors of death and together will present us and you to the terrible throne. 2 Cor.4:15. For everything is for you, so that the abundance of grace may produce greater gratitude in many to the glory of God. “All for your sake,” that is, the believers, for he said not about the Corinthians alone, but about all those who accepted the sermon. “Let grace abound with abundant thanksgiving and abound to the glory of God.” God, providing for the common salvation of all, accomplished the Economy of the Lord Christ. Therefore, we must continually render praise to Him with hymns. 2 Cor.4:16. Therefore we do not lose heart; but if our outer man is decaying, then our inner man is being renewed day by day. “It’s still not cold” si; We do not grieve, we do not indulge in cowardice, but we endure everything courageously. “But even if our outer man decays, yet our inner man is renewed every day.” The soul gains the greatest benefit when it is led by courage. Then the Apostle compares the sorrows of present life with the expected benefits. 2 Corinthians 4:17. For our momentary light affliction produces eternal glory in immeasurable abundance. “Even though our sorrow is now light, when it is multiplied into prosperity, it makes us heavy with eternal glory.” The apostle with the word “now” showed short duration and temporaryness. The same thing that is “today” is contrasted with the eternal, and the light and bearable with the heavy, that is, valuable, with the “increasing” with the “in prosperity”, with sorrow - not with joy, but with glory, which is much more important. And since one was visible, and the other had not yet become obvious, he rightly added: 2 Cor.4:18. When we look not at the visible, but at the invisible: for the visible is temporary, but the invisible is eternal. “Those who are visible to us are not seen, but those who are unseen; what is visible is temporary, but what is invisible is eternal.” Not only sorrows are temporary, but also the joys of real life. Therefore, one should not pin oneself to the soon-to-be-perishing, but expect to enjoy eternal blessings. From what follows it is clear that it should be read here: “those who believed from among the Jews.” This is what Evgeniy Bolgar notes in his publication Bla. Theodorit. You might be interested in: