2 Corinthians 4:1–18

Present Weakness and Resurrection Life

4Therefore, since through God’s mercy^d we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.^{e 2}Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;^f we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.^g On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience^h in the sight of God. ³And even if our gospelⁱ is veiled,^j it is veiled to those who are perishing.^{k 4}The god^l of this age^m has blindedⁿ the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,^o who is the image of God.^{p 5}For what we preach is not ourselves,^q but Jesus Christ as Lord,^r and ourselves as your servants^s for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^at made his light shine in our hearts^u to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.^v

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay^w to show that this all-surpassing power is from God^x and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side,^y but not crushed; perplexed,^z but not in despair; ⁹persecuted,^a but not abandoned;^b struck down, but not destroyed.^{c 10}We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,^d so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.^{e 11}For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,^f so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.^g

¹³It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”^bh Since we have that same spirit of^c faith,ⁱ we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead^j will also raise us with Jesus^k and present us with you to himself.^{l 15}All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving^m to overflow to the glory of God.

¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart.ⁿ Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly^o we are being renewed^p day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.^{q 18}So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,^r since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.