Or, The Heart of TEC (Pt 2)
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Date: July 17, 2022
Speaker: Sean Higgins
Telling the truth is simple, like riding a rocket; it does all the work but you have to hold on tight.
You are a flock that cares more about truth than personal charisma or branding at least when it comes to associating with who ministers to you. Being branded as a servant is one thing, being a servant trying to make a brand for himself takes a special sort of vanity. It was no less a problem for Paul than it is around us.
We are up against way more of a problem than a flooded religious market or short attention spans or simple confusion. We need more than cute and quick and glossy. We need God to speak light into darkness.
Truth is at the heart of TEC. Love, which is the aim of our charge (1 Timothy 1:5), does not work with lies, at least not for long. Joy and fellowship depend on truth (3 John 4 is an example), even as the truth is made for more than two dimensions.
Moses saw the truth-glory and needed a veil over his face because the people were afraid (Exodus 34:29; 2 Corinthians 3:12). Spiritually dead men have a different veil over their faces (2 Corinthians 3:15), one that keeps them from seeing the truth-glory. Now all those in Christ have unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:18), not just leaders, and by beholding the glory of the Lord we all are being transformed into the same image. This is worship.
And “Therefore” (4:1) we have courage in the work of telling the truth. Glory beheld (3:18), glory proclaimed (4:1-6), and then we’ll see glory embodied (4:7-11).
Paul explains what ministers like him do, but it has effect and application to all who are beholders. In 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 we’ll see courage for true ministry, a contrast with true ministry, the constraint of true ministry, and the final conviction of true ministry.
The sovereign kindness of God keeps us going, keeps us from falling over in the face of fatigue, criticism, and antagonism.
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1, ESV)
Our word “courage” comes from the Latin word cor which means “heart.” Courage is having heart. Paul is saying that he’s not lost heart (and repeats it in verse 16). Tired and troubled? Yes. But he wouldn’t play the coward or get comfy in the funk, he wouldn’t slack off or quit; he and his partners wouldn’t, as The Message paraphrases: “throw up our hands and walk off the job.” Not losing heart is the protein of this paragraph and chapter.
The ministry (διακονίαν) is service, related to the same word from which the word “deacon” derives. The serving required dealing with deathly circumstances (1:8-9), great discouragement (2:13), feelings of insufficiency (3:5), and rejection of righteousness (3:7-18). The ministry was proclaiming freedom that men didn’t know they needed and proclaiming glory that men didn’t know they were blind to.
When it comes to vocational ministry, this is why men such as Spurgeon and Lloyd-Jones counseled that if a man could do anything else he should do that.
But it’s also true that every disciple of Christ is called to this great commission. In fact the primary work of pastors/elders is not to do the work of the ministry, but instead to “equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). To be a Christian beholding Christ’s glory is to want to share that glory with others, and seeing so much rejection tempts anyone to lose heart.
Ministry was by the mercy of God . It wasn’t Paul’s self-expression of his creative giftedness, and he certainly didn’t merit it; the older ladies in the church didn’t push him into it. It was a God-given mercy. God’s sovereign kindness created courage in his ministry and God’s living Spirit gave energy. Mercy is at the heart of God’s work.
Isn’t it odd to contrast something he was not doing with something else he was not doing? He wasn’t losing heart but he wasn’t utilizing secret and shameful ways. Maybe we could say ministry is like a marathon. He was confident he wouldn’t quit, but not by taking shortcuts.
But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2, ESV)
Ministry is full of ignored or rejected messages, as well as ingratitude for or criticism of the messengers (see 1 Corinthians 4:13). The most natural response (and we 21st century, Pragmatic-American evangelicals fit the profile) is to do whatever it takes to overcome the consumer’s resistance, make the process smoother, repackage the product, even if the advertising is questionable.
But the ministry of truth is not served by untruth, and grace wouldn’t be showcased in disgraceful dress. Paul avoided deceit, half-truths, and manipulation. Paul was not trying to make a name for himself, he was not interested in controlling others, and he was committed to honest handling of God’s Word. Cunning is like bait for a fish. No tricks, nor would he tamper with (or “adulterate” NASB) truth.
He kept his hands above the table so that everyone could see. The curtain was up, the backstage visible. He published his life for review. It didn’t mean that everyone had good things to say about him; they could lie. But in their consciences before God they had no material to condemn Paul’s ministry. That was the place Paul aimed for his integrity to be proved, not how high he ranked in Christian podcasts.
Again, not everyone accepted let alone appreciated the truth. The truth of the gospel is veiled among some.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3–4, ESV)
If the truth is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing . The spiritually dead are spiritually dying, and one of the characteristics of being unsaved is being unable to see. They aren’t perishing because they’re blind (though that could be demonstrated in other passages). They are blind because they are perishers.
The unsaved are the target of the gospel, these are the ones truth aims to transform. We do not know if/when or for whom God will remove the veil. But it is no surprise when men reject the truth.
The constraint is a supernatural blinding. The god of this world is Satan (see his designation as “ruler” in John 12:31 and “prince” in Ephesians 2:2). It does not mean that Satan is a god, but that he is the master of men who serve him as if he were a god. He is the father of lies and liars. The offspring of the serpent is hostile to the seed of the woman. He prevents understanding, though he can do nothing apart from God’s control. He is potent, not omnipotent; he’s successful, but not supreme.
Gospel truth is as esteemed by unbelievers as color theory is by a class of blind painters. Give them easels, expensive brushes, palettes full of the richest and most brilliant colors, and they can’t do anything but make a mess. You can engage them in a discussion about saturation and hue, you can take them to a museum of great works of art, but they cannot see what you’re talking about, until their eyes are opened.
The truth prevails.
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light 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. (2 Corinthians 4:5–6, ESV)
The truth shines on the person of Jesus, the Messiah and Master. He is Christ, He is Lord. This is the Christian confession (Romans 10:9), the heart of the truth.
We are allowed to talk about ourselves, but as your servants for Jesus’ sake (δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν). The genitive “of you” is objective, “slaves serving you,” not possessive, “slaves owned by you. Men benefit from our slaving; God assesses our slaving.
Ministers are not masters. The work of the ministry is not for the distinction of the ministers, but the treasure of the ministry is carried by men. This actually becomes extra clear in the next paragraph; there is honor in being used up. But there is only one Lord.
The subject stands out in this sentence: For God —what God?—[the One] who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” [He Himself] has shone in our hearts .
In our ministry and message of that Lord, God’s nature as light-giver shines. The creative work is His, not ours. He spoke directly on the first day to bring light into creation (Genesis 1:3) which meant light without the sun created on day four.
The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is a mouthful, but more than that, it is the from whom and through whom and for whom of truth. In Christ the world holds together, and our ability to see the world. When we see Him we truly see. What glory outshines this glory? What glory condescends so low as a part of its raising so high?
Ministry is hard and tempts us to lose heart.
People will bring theological debate, moral bankruptcy, petty squabbles, messed up marriages or prodigal kids, party spirit. They may even make it personal, questioning your motives, criticizing you, undermining your work. You face militant unbelief and indiscriminate disobedience. You face apparent ineffectiveness. We can’t fix it by wearing a t-shirt instead of a tie, or visa versa. Being “nice” won’t and can’t weaken resistance, let alone trickery or manipulation. We don’t succeed by mastering SEO or serving the gods of glossy paper.
The gospel doesn’t always “work” and yet God works through the gospel and those who minister the gospel. The “word of the truth, the gospel” (Colossians 1:5) is at the heart of TEC, and His mercy keeps us from losing heart.
Don’t lose heart. By grace God’s light shines in your heart, and you know the one who sovereignly speaks light into shining. Minister as servants for Jesus’ sake.
[M]y God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (Philippians 4:19–20, 23, ESV)