2 Corinthians 4

Treasure in Jars of Clay

1 Because of God’s mercy, we got this ministry, so we do not lose heart or give up.

2 We keep it real. We do not do shady stuff or mess with God’s word. Instead, we lay it all out truthfully so people can see what is right before God.

3 If our message seems hidden, it is only hidden from those who are lost.

4 The god of this age, Satan, has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, so they cannot see the light of the gospel that shows the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

5 We do not preach about ourselves; we preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

6 God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Christ.

7 We carry this treasure in jars of clay, our weak bodies, to show that the power belongs to God, not to us.

8 We are hard-pressed on every side but not crushed; we are confused but not hopeless;

9 We are persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed.

10 We carry the death of Jesus in our bodies, so His life can be seen in us too.

11 We who are alive are constantly handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so His life may be revealed in our mortal bodies.

12 So death is working in us, but life is working in you.

13 We got the same spirit of faith that Scripture talks about: “I believed; therefore I spoke.” So we believe, and that is why we speak.

14 We know that the One who raised Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and bring us together with you in His presence.

15 All this is for your benefit, so as grace reaches more people, it will cause more thanksgiving and bring glory to God.

16 That is why we do not lose heart. Even though our bodies are wearing down, our spirits are being renewed every day.

17 Our struggles right now are light and temporary, but they are building for us a glory that will last forever, way beyond anything we can imagine.

18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. The stuff we see is temporary, but the unseen is eternal.