⁷ Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. ⁸ We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; ⁹ we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. ¹³ And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. ¹⁴ For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. ¹⁵ Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.

¹⁶ Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. ¹⁸ So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

1) What is “this treasure” that we have in clay jars, and what are the clay jars?This treasure that Paul is speaking of is the “light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ” according to verse 6. Basically, it’s the gospel, and the clay jars were the Corinthian believers themselves. They carried the treasure of the gospel within them. In those days, kings would store up their gold and silver in clay jars. It’s said of the King of Persia that he would melt any tribute given to him and pour it into earthen jars simply to break the jars and have a gold or silver mass. The true treasure wasn’t the jar itself, but what it contained. Paul, likewise, is telling the Corinthians that their true treasure wasn’t their bodies, but what their bodies possessed, the knowledge of God’s glory. The treasure of the knowledge of God’s glory is what gave them the power to continue on and share the gospel. The power came from God, not themselves.

2) What is Paul trying to get the Corinthians to see in verses 8 and 9?
Paul had been through a great deal of trials and tribulations to spread the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul tells the Corinthians about his labors, imprisonments, beatings, and all the dangers he had endured for the gospel. In verses 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians 4, Paul uses four examples of things that had happened to him while spreading the knowledge of God’s glory to others. He had been afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. These are all things that happened to his “clay jar”, but his true power came from within, so he was never crushed, despairing, forsaken, or destroyed because of the power of God within him. He was a living, breathing example of God’s power to overcome!

3) What does “we are being given over to death for Jesus’s sake” mean?
The expression used here has the connotation of carrying around a corpse with you everywhere you go. Paul faced death at every turn. He suffered as Jesus had suffered. He even had scars to prove it (Galatians 6:17). Paul was always dying to himself, so that he could live for Jesus. In Galatians 2:20, Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Why did Paul give himself over to death for Jesus’ sake? So that Jesus’ life would be displayed in his life. Death and resurrection. He dies to himself and lived for Christ. No matter what he went through physically, he would glorify Christ because he had the knowledge of the glory of God stored up inside his “clay jar.”

4) What is an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory?
“Absolutely” means there are no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. It is absolute; a sure thing! The word incomparable means “an excess of”. It is the state of having extremely or superlatively more than is necessary. Eternal means never-ending, FOREVER!! Weight is something that is of importance, significance, or dignity bears heavily on the senses or spirits. “Glory” is the manifest presence of God’s infinite and majestic nature. In other words, trials and tribulations produce a sure way to manifest God’s divine nature in a way that is extraordinary and will weigh heavily on all who see it forever.

1) What is “this treasure” that we have in clay jars, and what are the clay jars?We, too, have the knowledge of the glory of God, and not only that, but we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. That is our true treasure! Ephesians 1:19-20 tells us that the power that we possess through the Holy Spirit is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. It is so easy in our day and age to be consumed with how our outer vessel looks and forget that our true treasure lies on the inside. God’s Spirit inside of us is what makes us powerful, and I would even argue that He is what truly makes us beautiful!! Our outer body and beauty WILL fade away, but He is eternal. He is there to get us through anything that we might be going through. We are not left on our own. We possess the power of God Himself!

2) What is Paul trying to get the Corinthians to see in verses 8 and 9?
Many of us feel afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down. Maybe for you it’s a relationship or a job or even that your “clay jar” is sick and making you feel these things. For me, it’s a very rough season of parenting. One of my children was violated by another person close to our family, and one of my children has been dealing with clinical depression and suicidal thoughts. Additionally, my husband and I both have mothers that are single and aging. One is declining physically, while the other is declining mentally. As if that’s not enough, the enemy keeps whispering lies into my ears about how bad of a parent and daughter I am. It feels as though I am being afflicted in every way. BUT GOD!! God within me is greater than he who is in the world. When I’m perplexed, He reminds me that He knows the beginning from the end. When the enemy persecutes me, He reminds me of the truth of who I am in Him. When I feel struck down, He reaches down and picks me up. I can never fix myself or anyone else around me, but Jesus came and fixed everything. The knowledge of His glory is the power that sees me through, and He will see you through, too.

3) What does “we are being given over to death for Jesus’s sake” mean?
It is HARD to die to ourselves in this self-centered world that we live in!! It’s so easy to tell ourselves that we deserve to have our way because our culture tells us that we should. But Christ tells us something very different. In Luke 9:23, He says, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” DAILY!! Jesus knew that it would be a minute to minute decision to die to ourselves and live for Him. Why is it important to give ourselves over to death for Christ’s sake? For the same reason it was important for Paul to do the same thing. There are people watching us because we’re different than the world. They are watching to see how we will handle conflict. Watching to see how we will handle heartache. Watching to see how we will handle rejection, loss, persecution, and sickness. They are watching to see Jesus in us. We are the only ones who get to choose if they see us or if they see Him. If we live for ourselves, they may never see Him, but if we die to ourselves and live out of the power that is in us through His Holy Spirit, they will see Him in all His glory!!

4) What is an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory?
Our trials and tribulations are momentary and fleeting, but they offer us a way to glorify God forever to all who are watching. As we go through trials here on earth, they might beat us down emotionally, physically, mentally, and even sometimes spiritually, but if we tap into the power that lies within us, we can glorify God in a way that is incomparable to anything else we could ever do or say. The effects of persevering through this life, dying to ourselves, and living for Christ will have eternal ramifications. When you’re hurting, remember God’s glory, for it will be yours forever in the end. You hold within you the power to change lives for His Kingdom. Keep your eyes fixed on that which is unseen. Walk by faith during those times and not by sight, and you will be a Kingdom shaper!

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