Jesus was the one with whom we will be raised

JESUS WAS THE ONE WITH WHOM WE WILL BE RAISED
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
2 Corinthians4:14 14becausewe know that the one
who raisedthe LORD Jesus from the dead will also
raiseus with Jesus and present us with you to himself.
NOTE: Very few sermons are preachedon this text and so I have included
in this study some of the messagesthathelp understand the context of what
Paul is saying.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(14) Knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus . . .—From his present
experience of the triumph of life over death he passes to the future victory of
which that triumph was the earnest. It is clearthat he speaks here not of any
deliverance from danger or disease, but of the resurrectionof which he had
spokenso fully in 1 Corinthians 15. The better MSS. give with Jesus, the
Receivedtext having apparently originated in a desire to adapt the words to
the factthat Christ had already risen. St. Paul’s thoughts, however, dwell so
continually on his fellowshipwith Christ that he thinks of the future
resurrectionof the body, no less than of the spiritual resurrectionwhich he
has alreadyexperienced (Ephesians 2:6), as not only wrought by Him but

associatedwith Him; and in this hope of his he includes the Corinthians to
whom he writes. It will then be seen, he trusts, that “life” has indeed been
“working” in them. The verb “present,” as describing the work of Christ, and,
we may add, his own work as a minister of Christ, under this aspect, is a
favourite one with St. Paul (2Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:27;Colossians
1:22).
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
4:13-18 The grace offaith is an effectualremedy againstfainting in times of
trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrectionwas an
earnestand assuranceoftheirs. The hope of this resurrectionwill encourage
in a suffering day, and setus above the fear of death. Also, their sufferings
were for the advantage of the church, and to God's glory. The sufferings of
Christ's ministers, as well as their preaching and conversation, are for the
goodof the church and the glory of God. The prospectof eternal life and
happiness was their support and comfort. What sense was readyto pronounce
heavy and long, grievous and tedious, faith perceivedto be light and short,
and but for a moment. The weight of all temporal afflictions was lightness
itself, while the glory to come was a substance, weighty, and lasting beyond
description. If the apostle could call his heavy and long-continued trials light,
and but for a moment, what must our trifling difficulties be! Faith enables to
make this right judgment of things. There are unseen things, as well as things
that are seen. And there is this vast difference betweenthem; unseenthings
are eternal, seenthings but temporal, or temporary only. Let us then look off
from the things which are seen;let us ceaseto seek for worldly advantages,or
to fear present distresses.Let us give diligence to make our future happiness
sure.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Knowing - Being fully confident; having the most entire assurance.It was the
assuredhope of the resurrectionwhich sustained them in all their trials. This
expressiondenotes the full and unwavering belief, in the minds of the apostles,

that the doctrines which they preachedwere true. They knew that they were
revealedfrom heaven, and that all the promises of Godwould be fulfilled.
Shall raise up us also - All Christians. In the hope of the resurrectionthey
were ready to meet trials, and even to die. Sustainedby this assurance, the
apostles wentforth amidst persecutions and opposition, for they knew that
their trials would soonend, and that they would be raised up in the morning
of the resurrection, to a world of eternal glory.
By Jesus - By the poweror the agencyof Jesus. Christwill raise up the dead
from their graves, John5:25-29.
And shall present us with you - Will presentus before the throne of glory with
exceeding joy and honor. He will present us to God as those who have been
redeemedby his blood. He will presentus in the courts of heaven, before the
throne of the eternal Father, as his ransomed people;as recoveredfrom the
ruins of the fall; as savedby the merits of his blood. They shall not only be
raisedup from the dead; but they shall be publicly and solemnly presentedto
God as his, as recoveredto his service, and as having a title in the covenant of
grace to the blessednessofheaven.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
14. Knowing—by faith (2Co 5:1).
shall raise up us also—atthe resurrection (1Co 6:13, 14).
by Jesus—The oldestmanuscripts have "with Jesus."
present us—vividly picturing the scene before the eyes (Jude 24).

with you—(2Co 1:14; 1Th 2:19, 20; 3:13).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Knowing that God the Father, who raisedup the Lord Jesus from the dead, as
the first-fruits of them that sleep, shall likewise, by the virtue of his
resurrection, and by a powerflowing from him, as now alive, and sitting at the
right hand of God, quicken our mortal bodies; that both our souls and bodies
may be presented with you, to be both eternally glorified: this maketh us that
we do not fear death, but are unconcerned, although by wickedmen we every
day be delivered to it, and brought within the danger and sight of it; still the
resurrectionof Christ is made the foundation of our resurrection, and a firm
ground for our faith of it. And we are from this text confirmed in the truth of
this, that although the lot of God’s people in this life be very different, (some
are poor, some rich, some in prosperity, some in adversity, and encompassed
with sorrows and afflictions), yet if they have all the same faith, they shall all
meet in the resurrection, and shall, by Christ, be all presented unto God as
persons redeemedby him, and washedwith his blood, and who shall be
glorified together.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus,....Besideshaving the same
spirit of faith, mentioned in the preceding verse as a support under
tribulation, the apostle proceeds in this, and some following verses, to take
notice of other things which gave them relief under their pressures;such as
the resurrectionfrom the dead, all their afflictions being for the goodof the
churches and glory of God, the inward and comfortable experiences ofthe
love and grace ofGod in the midst of them, and the end and issue of them,
eternal glory. The former of these is observed here; "knowing", being firmly
persuaded, and fully assured, that he "which raisedup the Lord Jesus";by
whom God the Father is more especiallydesigned, though not to the exclusion
of the Son and Spirit, who were jointly concernedin raising the dead body of

our Lord: shall raise us up also by Jesus;which may regardthe resurrection
of all the saints by Christ, not as a mere instrument, but as a co-efficientcause
with the Fatherand Spirit: this the apostle concludes from the powerof God
in raising up Christ from the dead; he that is able to do the one, is certainly of
powerto effectthe other; and also from that union there is betweenChrist
and his people; he is the head, they are his members; and because the head is
raised, the members shall be likewise. Christ's resurrectionis not only the
pattern, but the pledge of the resurrectionof the saints. Now this doctrine, as
it was fully known, and firmly believed by the apostles, was ofgreatuse to
bear them up under their outward troubles; for though they were so afflicted
and persecuted, deathwas visibly working in them, and they might expectin a
short time to be laid in the grave; yet this was their consolation, thatthey
should be raisedagain immortal and glorious by Christ; some copies read,
"with Jesus", andso the Vulgate Latin version: "he shall present us with
you"; that is, he will present us ministers, togetherwith you the saints, and the
rest of the electof God; first, "to himself", as the Syriac version adds, and
then to his Father, in their full number, completelyrighteous and holy. These
words indeed may be understood of a deliverance from temporal affliction,
from that death they were labouring under, and exposedunto, and the sense
be this; we firmly believe that he that raisedup Christ from the dead, will
deliver us from the presentdeath of affliction, which will be a sort of
resurrectionfrom the dead, and will make us to stand by you, or in your
presence;or, in other words, being thus delivered, we shall have an
opportunity of visiting you, we have so long desired, and you have expected,
which will be to your edificationand comfort.
Geneva Study Bible
Knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by
Jesus, and shall present us with you.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary

2 Corinthians 4:14. Encouraging assuranceaccompanying this λαλοῦμεν (not
its contents); since we are certain that, etc. Comp. Romans 5:3; 1 Corinthians
15:58.
ὁ ἐγείρας τ. κ. Ἰησ.] Comp. on 1 Corinthians 6:14; Romans 8:11. This
designationof God contains the ground of faith for the conviction about to be
expresse.
καὶ ἡμᾶς σὺν Ἰησοῦ ἐγερεῖ κ. παραστ. σὺν ὑμῖν] This is usually understood of
the actualresurrectionfrom the dead, and of the presenting before the
judgment-seat of Christ. And this view is the right one, partly because it alone
is in keeping with the definite expressions, partly because it is in the highest
degree suitable to the connection, when Paul here at the close ofwhat he says
regarding his sufferings and perils of death expresses the certainty of the last
and supreme consummation as the deepestground of his all-defying courage
of faith. This amid all afflictions is his καυχᾶσθαι ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι τῆς δόξης τοῦ
θεοῦ, Romans 5:2. Paul, indeed, expectedthat he himself and most of his
readers would live to see the Parousia (1 Corinthians 15:51 f., 2 Corinthians
1:8, 2 Corinthians 11:26; 2 Corinthians 1:13 f.); but the possibility of meeting
death in the deadly persecutions was always andeven now before his mind (1
Corinthians 15:31 f.; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Php 1:20 f., 2
Corinthians 2:17; Acts 20:25; Acts 20:38);and out of this case conceivedas
possible, which subsequently he for the time being even posits as a certainty
(see on Acts 20:25), he expresseshere in presence ofhis eventual death his
triumphant consciousnessὅτι ὁ ἐγείρας κ.τ.λ. Hence there is no ground for
explaining it, with Beza (who, however, againabandoned this view), Calixtus
(“suscitabita morte sc. illa quotidiana”), Schulz, Rückert, Neander, of the
resurrectionin a figurative sense, viz. of the overcoming the constantperils of
death (2 Corinthians 4:10-12), which, it is held, is a resurrection with Jesus, in
so far as through it there arises a fellowshipof destiny with the risen Christ.
This interpretation is not demanded by the correctreading σὺν Ἰησοῦ, as if
this σὺν (comp. Romans 6:4; Romans 6:8; Ephesians 2:5 f.) presupposed the

spiritual meaning. It is true that the raising of the dead takes place διὰ Ἰησοῦ,
and has its basis ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ (1 Corinthians 15:21-22);but Christians may
be also conceivedand designatedas one day becoming raised with Jesus, since
they are members of Christ, and Christ is the ἀπαρχή (1 Corinthians 15:23)of
all who rise from the dead. The believer, in virtue of his connectionwith the
Lord, knows himself already in his temporal life as risen with Christ (see on
Colossians 2:12;Colossians 3:1), and what he thus knows in faith emerges at
the lastday into objective completion and outward realit.
καὶ παραστήσει σὺν ὑμῖν] and will present us togetherwith you. This is taken,
according to the previously rejectedfigurative sense of ἐγερεῖ, to refer to the
presentationof the conquerors over deadly perils, or even in the sense:“and
will bring us togetheragain with you” (Neander, Rückert). But, according to
the context, after the mention of the resurrection, it obviously denotés the
presentationbefore the judgment-seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans
14:10;Colossians 1:22;Ephesians 5:27; Luke 21:36), where the righteous
receive the eternal δόξα (2 Timothy 4:8). With Christ they have suffered; with
Him they have risen; and now before the throne of the Lord their
συνδοξασθῆναι, (Romans 8:15) sets in, which must be the blessedresult of
their presentationbefore the Judge. Hence Hofmann is wrong in thinking that
there is no allusion to the judgment-seat of Christ in παραστ. Comp. on
Colossians 1:22. In the certainty of this last consummation Paul has the
deepestground of encouragementforhis undaunted working, and the
presentiment of such a glorious consummation is made still sweeterto him by
the glance atthe fellowshipof love with his Corinthians, togetherwith whom
he will reachthe blessedgoalunto eternalunion. Comp. 1 Thessalonians2:19.
Hence: σὺν ὑμῖν, which is an essentialpart of the inward certainty expressed
by εἰδότες κ.τ.λ., which gives him high encouragement. We may add that the
ὑμεῖς will be partly those risen, partly those changedalive (1 Corinthians
15:51 ff.; 1 Thessalonians4:14 ff.).
Expositor's Greek Testament

2 Corinthians 4:14. Despite the contrastbetweendeath in us and life in you (2
Corinthians 4:12), we trust that we too shall share in that RisenLife of Christ.
εἰδότες ὅτι κ.τ.λ.:knowing that He who raisedup the Lord Jesus (see reff.)
shall raise up us also with Jesus, sc.,onthe Day of the generalResurrection(1
Thessalonians 4:14), and shall present us with you (see reff.). Observe that the
A.V. “shallraise up us also by Jesus” depends on a wrong reading, and
perverts the sense. It would appear from this passage thatthe Apostle did not
hope to be alive at the SecondAdvent of Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:8, 1
Corinthians 15:52), although at an earlier period he seems to have cherished
such an expectation(1 Thessalonians 4:15).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
14. knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus]Here we have the source
of the Apostle’s faith and confidence. He knew that the Resurrectionof Christ
was an accomplishedfact(see notes on 1 Corinthians 15, and Introduction to
First Epistle). Hence arose his persuasionthat a life was given to him which
should survive and overcome even death itself.
by Jesus]All recent editors substitute with Jesus, which, however, does not
mean at the same time with, but by virtue of the operationof the same life and
spirit. For the life that dwells in Jesus dwells also in His disciples, John 6:54.
We are the members, Christ the Head; we are the crop, Christ the firstfruits,
1 Corinthians 15:23. Cf. Romans 1:4, as wellas ch. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, and
Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:13. Chrysostomomits the words altogether.
Meyer remarks that though St Paul believed that he and the majority of his
readers would live to see the actual coming of Christ in the flesh, the
possibility that this might not be the case was everbefore his eyes. See 1
Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:15.
and shall present us with you] i.e. shall place us in His own Presence. Cf.
Romans 14:10; Colossians 1:22;Jude 24; ch. 2 Corinthians 5:10, and 1
Corinthians 8:8, and note.

Bengel's Gnomen
2 Corinthians 4:14. Εἰδότες, knowing)by greatfaith, ch. 2 Corinthians 5:1.—
παραστήσει, shall present) This word places the matter as it were under our
eyes [Hypotyposis; a vivid word-picture of some action, Append.]
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 14. - Which raisedup the Lord Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 6:14). Shall
raise up us also. The thought is againexpressedin Romans 8:11. As he is here
alluding mainly to the resurrectionfrom the dead, it is clearthat he
contemplated the possibility of dying before Christ's secondcoming (comp. 1
Thessalonians 4:15). By Jesus. The reading supported by nearly all the best
manuscripts is "with Jesus" (‫,א‬ B, C, D, E, F, G), which perhaps appeared
unsuitable to the copyists. But Christians are "risen with Christ" here
(Colossians2:12;Colossians 3:1); and in another sense also we rise with him,
because the Church is "the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:23). Shall
present us with you. So St. Jude speaks of"Godour Saviour" as able "to
present us" before the presence ofhis glory (Jude 1:24, 25).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
MIKE ANDRUS
Confidence in our own resurrectionis basedon faith in Christ’s resurrection.
(13-15)
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of
faith we also

believe and therefore speak, becausewe know that the one who raised the
Lord Jesus from the
dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All
this is for your
benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause
thanksgiving to
overflow to the glory of God.
Paul quotes here the 116thPsalm, which is a Psalmof thanksgiving to God for
deliverance. Just
as the Psalmistwas so confident in God’s deliverance that he couldn’t keephis
mouth shut, so
Paul finds himself in the same situation. He knows the truth and feels
compelled to preachit,
2
even if his critics take him to task. You know, those who lack conviction in
their hearts about
the characterofGod or the truth of His Word often seek the peace and
popularity that come from
mealy-mouthed preaching, making sure they don’t ruffle any feathers. But
those who genuinely
believe the truth cannot help but speak it as the truth, even if it challenges the
conventional
wisdom and stirs up opposition.
In the previous paragraph Paul has acknowledgedthat death is at work in his
body, meaning not
only that is he aging but even more that he is suffering and being persecuted
for his faith. But

Paul does not view his own inevitable death as a tragedy “becausewe know
that the one who
raisedthe Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus.”Now that’s
a truth worth
proclaiming! Of course, the resurrectionof the believer’s body is not a new
topic for the
Apostle. In his first letter to the Corinthian church he delivered the most
detailed teaching on the
resurrectionin the entire Bible, and here he is just summarizing and
repeating his conclusion. I
think it would be helpful to turn back just two or three pages to 1 Cor. 15 and
briefly walk
through his earlierargument.
In 1 Cor. 15:12 Paul asks, “How cansome of you saythat there is no
resurrectionof the dead?”
Some in the Corinthian church were apparently teaching that at death the
spirit goes to heaven,
the body to the grave, and that’s how it all ends. They were influenced, no
doubt, by Greek
philosophy, which often showeddisdain for the body while elevating the spirit.
But Paul would
have none of that sort of dualism. The human being is body, soul, and spirit,
and God has a
future for both the material and the immaterial part of us.
The Apostle responds to this dualistic view in verse 13 and repeats the same
point in verse 16:

“If there is no resurrectionof the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.”
This is a powerful
argument, because eventhose who doubted whether their own bodies had any
future after death
certainly did not question the resurrectionof Jesus, forthat was the
cornerstone ofthe Christian
faith. They acceptedthat He was a unique case. But, Paul says to them, you
can’t have it both
ways;if dead bodies don’t rise, then dead bodies don’t rise, including Christ’s.
If dualism is
going to be accepted, we must be consistentand rejecteven the resurrectionof
Christ.
Then he takes the argument one step further and draws out the logical
deductions that follow
necessarilyif Christ Himself didn’t rise. It is his hope that they will recoil in
horror from these
deductions and therefore rejectthe premise upon which they are based,
namely that there is no
future resurrection for believers. If Christ did not rise, Paul continues, then
our preaching is
useless, yourfaith is useless, we are found to be false witnessesaboutGod,
your faith is futile,
you are still in your sins, dead believers are lostforever, and we Christians are
to be pitied more
than all men.
Now let’s go back to 2 Cor. 4: “With the same spirit of faith the Psalmist
displayed, we also

believe and therefore speak, becausewe know that the one who raised the
Lord Jesus from the
dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.” If
Jesus was raised
from the dead, then so will we! These simple jars of clay, these crackedpots,
have a
phenomenal future!
3
“All this,” Paul continues in verse 15 “is for your benefit, so that the grace
that is reaching more
and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”
When he says, “all
this is for your benefit,” I think he is referring to everything he has been
talking about since
verse 7, namely that as a mere clay pot, he is weak, broken, suffering, and
inevitably dying. Yet
this pot is filled with a greattreasure–the light of the knowledge ofthe glory of
God in the face
of Christ. Because ofthe treasure placed in him he is able to introduce others
to new life in
Christ. Not only that, the pot will eventually be resurrectedand reachits full
potential as a
creationof God.
And what is the end result? “More and more people will cause thanksgiving to
overflow to the
glory of God.” That is Paul’s greatestgoalin life (or death)–for more and
more voices to be

added to the hallelujah chorus of praise and worship that Rev. 5:12, 13
records:“Worthy is the
Lamb, who was slain, to receive powerand wealthand wisdom and strength
and honor and glory
and praise. . . . To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and
honor and glory and
power, for ever and ever!”
So far Paul has talkedabout the confidence we can have in the resurrectionof
our bodies, but
that is future. What about betweennow and then? What about those who are
suffering? What
about those who want to die but can’t, like some of the shut-in’s I know?
J. H. BERNARD
Verse 14
Corinthians 4:12), we trust that we too shall share in that RisenLife of Christ.
εἰδότες ὅτι κ. τ. λ.: knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus (see reff.)

DOUG GOINS
Our confident hope of resurrectionfrom death
In verses 12-15, Paulturns to the future and offers the confident hope of his
own resurrectionfrom death. It is the time when we look forwardto hearing
God's creative and commanding voice callus to eternal life. At that point we
will finally know the completeness of his power and glory. Paul writes in 2
Corinthians 4:12-15:
So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE ISPOKE," we
also believe, therefore also we speak, knowing that he who raisedthe Lord
Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things
are for your sakes,so that the grace whichis spreading to more and more
people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
At the end of chapter 4 Paul begins a discussionof death and the hope we
have in the resurrectionof those who die as Christians. For Paul, the present
experience of resurrectionlife is not enough. He writes in his first letter to
Corinth, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most
to be pitied" (1 Cor 15:19). Paul's unconquerable faith is spelled out against
the backdropof his belief that the same Godwhose Spirit renewedhim daily
was the one who raisedJesus on Eastermorning. To the church in
Thessalonica he writes, "Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleepin Jesus" (1 Thess
4:14). One of the most important implications of EasterSunday morning is
that if we are in relationship to Christ, we no longerhave to be afraid of
death.

Apart from Jesus Christ, the fear of death is universal. The comedy of Woody
Allen speaks to his obsessionwith it. In an Esquire magazine interview, Allen
is quoted as saying, "It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be
there when it happens."(6)Mostof the article shows that he is filled with
dread. He says, "The fundamental thing behind all motivation and all activity
is the constantstruggle againstannihilation and death. It's absolutely
stupefying in it's terror and it renders anyone's accomplishments
meaningless."(7)
The Eastermessage proclaims that Jesus rescueshis followers from the
horror of death. We will not only survive death, but we will be raisedfrom it.
We will be given new bodies like Jesus'resurrectionbody, bodies with new
and undreamed of powers. We will have no more afflictions, perplexity,
persecution, catastrophe, andno more "being delivered over to death."
Revelation21 is a promise of eternal life in a beautiful glimpse of heaven. The
apostle John writes, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He
shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall
be among them, and He shall wipe awayevery tear from their eyes;and there
shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or
crying, or pain; the first things have passedaway" (Revelation21:3, 4).
And on the third day
this God of ours
recovers from death
in a way that changes everything.
The resurrectionof Jesus Christ from the dead does, in fact, change
everything--the past, the present, and the future. Easteraffects our
understanding of the past--of salvationhistory at work in the creationof the
universe, at work on Eastermorning, and at work in our own conversionto

faith in Jesus Christ. The resurrection brings to our present, personal
experience the amazing creativity and vitality of resurrection life. And Jesus'
resurrectiongives us confident hope for the future. We will be raisedfrom
death ourselves to live eternally. The supernatural powerand the brilliant
glory of God is consistentlydisplayed in the Easterperspective on our past,
present and future.
You can experience the resurrectionlife of Jesus--asyour Savior and Lord
Paul's concernat the end of verse 15 is that God's saving grace in Jesus Christ
is spread to more and more people. I ask again:Have you seenthe glory of
God in the face of Christ? Has God driven back the darkness ofsin and
unbelief from your heart? Are you experiencing the resurrectionpower of
Christ in your life? Has Jesus rescuedyou from bondage to the fear of death?
If your answers this morning are no, do you perhaps realize that you are
spiritually blind, and that you are living in the darkness ofsinful rebellion
againstGod? Is your life dull, dead, and barren? Are you in bondage to the
fear of death?
The goodnews of the Eastermessage is that Jesus canopen your eyes to
spiritual reality. He canforgive your sinful rebellion, dissipate your fearof
what happens after you die, and he can give you life to the fullest right now.
All you need to do is turn to him as Savior and Lord. Romans 10:9-10 explains
that "...ifyou confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raisedHim from the dead, you shall be saved;for with the
heart man believes, resulting in righteousness [being made right with God],
and with the mouth he confesses,resulting in salvation."

What better wayto celebrate Easterthanto acceptthe new life Jesus offers
today? Trust him as your Savior, surrender your will to him as Lord. Then
you will know the thrill, the joy, and the security of the resurrectedChrist
Jesus living inside of you.
Later in this letter, Paul writes with a sense of heightened seriousnessand
urgency, "And working togetherwith Him [Jesus], we also urge you not to
receive the grace of God in vain--for He says, [God speaking through Isaiah]
'AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY
OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.'" Paul adds, "behold, now is "THE
ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is the "DAY OF SALVATION..." (2
Corinthian 6:1-2).
If you have never askedJesus Christto come into your life, I want to invite
you to open your heart to him and acceptthe salvationhe offers. Jesus says to
you, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock;if anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come into him, and will dine with him, and he with Me"
(Rev 3:20). Please respondto his gracious invitation.
MATTHEW HENRY
Hope of the resurrectionkept them from sinking, 2 Corinthians 4:14. They
knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrectionwas an earnestand
assurance oftheirs. This he had treated of largelyin his former epistle to these
Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 15:1. And therefore their hope was firm, being
well grounded, that he who raisedup Christ the head will also raise up all his
members. Note, The hope of the resurrectionwill encourage us in a suffering
day, and set us above the fear of death; for what reasonhas a goodChristian
to fear death, that dies in hope of a joyful resurrection?

What motivates a personto speak out regardlessofthe personal
consequences?This is a question that Paul raises toice in the space of too
chapters. It is also one that we all ask from time to time. Why preachthe
gospelif it leads to ridicule, personaldeprivation and hostility? For Paul it
was not a matter of feeling that he was the best qualified or had superior
credentials. It was, rather, a question of conviction--a conviction that
constrainedhim to speak out, even when it was not to his advantage to do so.
What was this conviction? It was not the belief that Jesus is the Christ--as we
would expect of a Jew--but rather the certainty that he who raisedthe Lord
Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus (v. 14). Raise us points to a
corporate event. With Jesus is best rendered "in the company of." Paul is
thinking of the parousia, when "Godwill bring with Jesus those who have
fallen asleepin him" (1 Thess 4:14). Paul could be saying that he speaks out
despite the consequencesbecausehe knows that if death takes him, God can
and will raise him up. But in light of verse 15 (all this is for your benefit), it is
more likely a recognitionon his part of what hearers will miss out on if he
fails to speak out.
Not only will God raise us, Paul says, but he will also presentus with you in
his presence. The Greek verb for present means "to cause to stand" or "to
place beside." In his presence is not found in the Greek text. It answers the
question: "Stand where?" It is Paul's conviction that God will raise and place
before himself those who have heard and responded to the gospel--another
reasonto speak out. All this (ta panta), he reminds the Corinthians, is for your
benefit (v. 15). What he undergoes as an itinerant preacherhe undergoes not
for his own sake but for theirs. As Paul's spiritual children, the Corinthians
have been the direct beneficiaries ofhis willingness to preach the gospel
regardless ofpersonalcost.

IVP NEW TESTAMENTCOMMENTARIES
JAMIESON, FAUSSET, BROWN
Verse 14
Knowing - by faith (2 Corinthians 5:1).
Shall raise up us also - at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 6:13-14). By [ dia
(G1223):so C] Jesus. 'Aleph (') B Delta G f g, Vulgate, have 'with [ sun (Greek
#4862)]Jesus.'
Presentus - vividly picturing the judgment before the eyes (Jude 1:24).
With you (2 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians2:19-20;1 Thessalonians3:13).
LANGE
2 Corinthians 4:14. He who raised up Jesus from the dead, imparts to all who
put faith in Him, the confident assurance and lively feeling that they too shall
not be left in the grave.—Christhas acquired the right to representand
introduce His members wherever He is Himself. He will hereafterbestow

upon us blessings, far surpassing what the Gospelnow gives us, for as yet we
have had to endure very much of the shame of the cross.
2 Corinthians 4:14. Faith always finds accessto God only through Christ. The
resurrectionand glorificationof Jesus is the true ground for hoping that God
will raise up and present us also. Only in this light shall we be able to estimate
what eachone gains or loses under the sufferings or unclothings of our
present state.
JOHN MACARTHUR
PricelessTreasure in Clay Pots, Part3
Sermons 2 Corinthians 4:12–15 47-29 Nov13, 1994
A + A - RESET
We turn now to the Word of God, and I invite you to open your Bible to the
fourth chapterof 2 Corinthians. It’s been our joy, through the years, to study
the books ofthe New Testamentin particular, as well as a number of Old
Testamentbooks, and we find ourselves in Paul’s secondletter to the
Corinthian church and the fourth chapter.
We’re working our way through this marvelous epistle, and we come to a
paragraph that starts in verse 7 and runs through verse 15. It begins in verse
7 with these words, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” And so
we’ve called this three-part series “PricelessTreasure in Clay Pots.”

When the inspired Old Testamentprophet Jeremiah spoke ofpeople in
chapter 18, verses 3 through 6, he described them as clay pots. He said that
they were common, cheap, breakable, and so forth, but could be used for
honorable purposes. Clay pots was not only a designationthat Jeremiah
chose, but one which Isaiahselectedas wellin Isaiah 45 and verse 9, he said,
‘Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker – a clay pot among the clay pots
of earth!” Both prophets were reminding us that we are merely clay pots.
Nothing very glorious, nothing very magnificent. Our only value comes in
what we canbe used to accomplish, not in what we intrinsically are.
The apostle Paulalso made a similar comparisonin the ninth chapter of
Romans, as he says in verses 20 and 21, “O man, who answers back to God?
Thing molded will not sayto the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’
will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the
same lump one vesselfor honorable use and another for common use?”
And again, the apostle Paul sees people as clay pots. They can be used for
honorable purposes or dishonorable purposes, but again, their value is in their
usefulness, not in their intrinsic worth. As men and women, we are cheap, and
common, and breakable, and homely, and replaceable, andearthy like clay
pots. Such a perspective, suchan analogy, suchan illustration does not elevate
any intrinsic worth that may be in man because there really is nothing worthy
in him in his fallen condition. Rather he becomes valuable because of what
God can achieve through him when he is honorable and used for honorable
purposes.
Even believers, those of us who have come to know Jesus Christ, are still clay
pots. If we have new covenantfaith, if we have the new covenantgospel, if we
have the Word of God in us, we have the priceless treasure in clay pots.

It is by God’s mercy, Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 1, that he was calledto
ministry. It is by God’s grace, becausehe was a blasphemer, and a murderer,
and injurious, and the chief of sinners. And it is a testimony to the grace of
God that He would take the chief of sinners, the foremost of sinners, and
make him into the most useful clay pot. All the glory goes to God. In fact, the
more valueless the jar, the more likely God is to get the glory for its
usefulness.
Now, why is Paul discussing this in this text? Well, let me give you a little bit
of background. I don’t want to spend too much time, because we’ve done this
the lastcouple of times. But just to bring you up to speed, as Paul writes this
letter to the Corinthians, he is being attacked. He is personally being assaulted
with a wholesale characterassassination, being done by some false apostles
who have come into Corinth, in Paul’s absence, and endeavoredto swaythe
people towardthem so they could teachfalse doctrine.
In order to be believed, in order to become the gurus they want to become in
that church, they have to, of course, eliminate the reigning teacherwho is
Paul. And so, they begin with an assassinationof is character. Theyhit him on
a number of fronts. They accuse him of having a secret, hidden life of iniquity
and shame, which he denies earlier in this chapter. They accuse him of being a
deceiver, someone who comes with deception, and who is really after their
money or sexualfavors from women; one who lies about his successesin the
past, misreports his effectand his impact on other places. Theysayhe comes
without credentials;he has no papers; he doesn’trepresent the proper elite
structure of Jerusalem, etcetera, etcetera.Theyhave assaultedhim every way
possible.
He writes this letter, in the main, to defend himself againstthose various
assaults. And as we have noted in our study up to chapter 4, we’ve seensome
specific answers to those very attacks.

But as we come to this section, he is addressing one particular part of their
assaulton him which I find to be most fascinating. Theybasically are saying
about him that the reasonso many people rejecthis preaching, and the reason
he starts riots in towns wherever he goes, andthe reasonthat there’re just a
few people who believe, and the main group of people in every city and town
reject, is because ofhis ineptness as a preacher, his lack of oratoricalability,
and because ofhis very offensive persona.
They say, in fact, that he, in his person, is utterly unimpressive, and his speech
is downright contemptible. He is nothing to look at. He lacks charm. He has
no marketing savvy. He offends his audience. He is far too plain for Greeks
who want something mystical. He is far too simple for Jews who want
something ceremonialand Mosaic. He comes in with this preaching the cross,
and Jesus is Lord, and it’s too plain; it offends everybody. He’s nothing to
look at, and he’s certainly nothing to listen to. His weakness, his ineptness, his
shortcomings, his physical deformities and frailties stand in the way of his
impact. He is a weak, unimpressive, contemptible, inept preacherwith all
kinds of distractions, which may have included some kind of deformity of his
face, relatedto his eyes, causing the Galatians to be willing to give their eyes to
him if that were possible. Whateverit might be, he was sucha distraction
himself and such an offense in his person that people turned him off and
therefore turned awayfrom the message.
And then, when he continued to press the messagewith such importunity
againsttheir hearts, relentlesslyhammering on the issues ofthe cross and
repentance, he offended them to the degree where instead of being winsome,
he became the objectof their persecution.
Well, they lied about him on many fronts, but when they said he had a hidden
life of shame, it was a lie. When they said that he was actually being

imprisoned in various places because Godwas chastening forhis secretsin,
they lied. When they saidhe was a deceiver, they lied. When they said that he
was an adulterator of the Word of God who corrupted the truth of Scripture
for personalgain, they lied. But when they said he was weak and
unimpressive, they told the truth. And that makes this such a unique passage
because here he agrees with their assessment.
And then he turns the tables on them. “You’re right,” he says. “I am weak;I
am unimpressive, and I have this treasure of new covenant truth in a clay pot
- common, cheap, breakable, replaceable.”
They lied about him on a lot of issues, but when they said he was
unimpressive, and he was weak, and he was inept, and he had certain foibles
and frailties, they were exactly write. When they said he lackedhuman
persona, presence, power, andoratoricalability, they were right.
But then the burden of proof is on them. You see, their argument was, “Paul
is not the right guy to be presenting the gospelbecause ofall these people who
rejectit. They’re rejecting it because ofPaul.”
His answeris, “You’re right. I’m weak. Now youexplain why so many people
are being transformed. Let’s not look at the people who reject;let’s look at
the transformed lives. Let’s look at churches all over Asia, all over the Gentile
world. Let’s look at the powerof Godpouring through this weak and fragile
clay pot, and you explain that.”
It was just that weaknessthat became strength. That’s what we said, didn’t
we? Paul goes to God about those things that make him weak, andhe pleads

with the Lord to take them away, and the Lord said, “No, My poweris
perfectedin” – what? – “weakness.”
And he concludes, “WhenI’m weak, then I’m strong.” His deformities, his
shortcomings are, in fact, true, but they are the credentials of his authenticity,
and they are the very keys to his remarkable power.
He’s a man who defies convention – even church conventiontoday. He is a
man who might not win the preaching awardat the seminary because ofhis
oratoricalskill. But he was a man whose powerand expressionofpower was
unequaled in his time, and maybe in any time.
How so? Well, he answers it here in verses 7 through 15. Here is a defense
againstthe assaults upon his person. He unfolds what really turns out to be a
magnificent tribute to this man, and it unlocks for us the key to his power.
First of all – and we’ll review for a minute. We saidthe first thing that made
him powerful was he was humble. Look at verse 7, “We have this treasure in
earthen vessels,that the surpassing greatnessofthe power may be of God and
not from ourselves.”We went into greatdetail talking about that earthen
vessel, didn’t we? W talkedabout the fact that claypots were used to take out
the filth, and the trash, and the garbage thatcame out of a home. They were
used for very dishonorable purposes. He says, “That’s all I am; I’m a garbage
pail. But that’s all right; I want the powerto be evidently from God so that He
can receive the glory.”
The keyto his greatness was his humility. It’s always that way. God always
pours out grace to the humble. His strength is always manifest when man runs
to the limit of his ownability and is exhausted.

But secondly, we said he not only was a powerful man because he was humble,
but because he was invincible. He was invincible.
You say, “Well, how can you be humble and invincible at the same time?”
Becausewhenyou getto the bottom of Paul, you hit God. When you’ve gone
through Paul and hit rock bottom, you’ve just hit the rock of all the ages.
When you come to the end of Paul, you come to God. And that is why, in
verses 8 and 9, we saw that he could say, “We are afflicted in every way, but
not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed.” You can hammer on him, but eventually
you’re hitting rock. And you can’t extinguish his life. You can’t destroy his
courage. Youcan’t do awaywith his boldness. You can’t break his spirit. You
can’t crush him.
He knew his human limitations better than his critics, and he would have
agreedwith all of their assessmentofhis weaknessand could have given them
an even longer list that he himself knew before God - like any of us can. The
worstthat our critics can sayagainstus doesn’tapproach the truth of our
weakness.Theywere criticizing him because so many people rejected, and so
many were offended to the degree of bitter hostility and persecution. He was
making it difficult for the gospel, and they thought he ought to have a little
more marketing savvy; ease off a little bit, find out what the marketplace
wanted; give them something that was palatable; increase his oratorical
efforts. So many things he did just turned people off. His messageincited
them. His person was unattractive. So, they went after him.
And then, when he continued to preach with persistence, they begin to become
hostile towardhim, his enemies did. They beganto attack him with a venom

and a vengeance thatbrought him next to death every day of his life. But that
couldn’t break his spirit; that couldn’t take awayhis boldness;that couldn’t
alter his message;that couldn’t touch his courage. Becausewhenyou get to
the bottom of Paul, you find God. You hit rock.
He had learned not to lean on his own understanding. He had learned to
acknowledge God. And the burden was now on the critics. You explain the
invincibility of this man. You explain how this man can take this endless
barrage, and his life is still monumentally powerful. You explain that.
Thirdly, we said that nother mark of his power was he was sacrificial. In verse
10, he says he was “always carrying about in his body the dying of Jesus.”In
verse 11, he says, “We who live are constantly being delivered over to death
for Jesus’sake.”That’s not something mystical. He’s not talking about some
deeper life principle here. He is saying this, “Everyday I stand on the brink of
being killed.” That’s what he’s saying. There’s nothing mystical about this.
This is exactly what Jesus had in mind in Matthew 16:24, when He said, “If
you want to come after Me, you’re going to have to deny yourself and pick up
your cross.”
In other words, you’re going to face the reality of death. And for Paul, this
was an everyday occurrence, as we pointed out in our last message. Imean it
just was that way every day. He would wake up every day and face the reality
that it might be his last day. And we remember the litany of things that he
went through in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 as he listed all of the things that he
had suffered short of death. Ah, the man was sacrificial.
You say, “Why was he willing to bear in his body the dying of Jesus. Why was
he willing to be delivered over to death every day? He says it in verse 10, “In
order that the life of Jesus may be manifest in our body.” Verse 11, again,

“Thatthe life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” Because
when my life is completely abandoned, and when my life is on the block, and
when I am suffering immensely and living on the edge of death, you’re going
to see the power of Christ in me.
It wasn’t Paul that they really hated; it was Christ that they hated. They
couldn’t get at Christ, so they got at Paul. And all it did was manifest the life
of Christ. The more they hit Paul, the more Christ manifestedHis life through
Paul. The more they persecutedhim, the sweeterwas the life of Christ in him,
the more gracious he became, the more merciful he became, the more kind he
became, the more effective he became, the more Christlike he became. He was
powerful because he was humble, invincible, and sacrificial.
Now let’s pick it up at verse 12. He was humble because he sought to be
fruitful. He was noble as a servant of Christ. He was powerful. He was self-
sacrificialbecause he lived for the fruit of his ministry. And this really
summarizes Paul, verse 12, “So death works in us, but life in you.”
Now, he’s not talking about himself manifesting the life of Christ, as he did in
verses 10 and 11;he’s talking about them. He says, “This is it.” Here’s
another of severalparadoxes that we’ve gone through in verses 8, 9, 10, and
11. Deathworks in us. And he indicated what that death was, as I read you in
verses 10 and 11 - the facing of death every single day. Every day he wakesup
could be the day he dies. That’s the price of his ministry. That’s what it could
costhim. But that’s all right, because death working in him has a purpose. He
will put his life on the line to bring the message oflife to you.
He said the same thing, really, in Colossianschapter1, verse 24 – used
different words, but said the same thing – “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for
your sake.”In other words, there’s no – and you need to mark this out,

there’s no gain for the sufferer in suffering for himself. In other words, this is
not some martyr complex. He’s not imagining that somehow there’s merit in
his pain. Oh, there was a refining work that God was doing in his life, and
there was a work of releasing the life of Christ through him, but he didn’t
seek suffering;he wasn’ta self-flagellator. The reasonhe suffered was not so
he could have a personalgain; the reasonhe suffered was to bring the
messageofChrist to the lostand to build up the Church.
So, it says in Colossians1:24, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.” I’m
not looking at myself; I’m not trying to achieve some spiritual goalin my own
life by pain. This happens because I pursue the fruit of ministry. I’m glad to
fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake ofHis body the
Church.
In 2 Timothy, in chapter 2 and verse 10, we find a very similar testimony,
“Forthis reasonI endure all things for the sake ofthose who are elect.” I
endure everything for the elect’s sake, thatthey also may obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” I’m not suffering for
myself. This isn’t some masochistic idea that somehow I’m going to gain merit
by my pain. I am suffering for you. Now, there is real selflessness - I’m
suffering for you. This is the price that it takes to get you the gospelin this
paganculture. This is the price it takes getyou the gospelin this Jewish
synagogue. The price might be my life, but if that’s the price, that’s the price.
In Philippians again, he makes evident the same testimony, in verse 17, “I am
being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith,
and I rejoice.” Irejoice to give my life for your faith, to bring the gospelto the
elect.

So, the man – the man was a powerful man. The man was effective because he
was absolutelyunconcerned with himself. He was expendable. He saw that his
duty in life and his joy in life was to bring life to others through the gospel.
“So death works in us, but life works in you.” I may be dying physically, but
you’re coming to life spiritually.
He told the Romans – he said, “Whoeverbelieves is going to be saved. But
how are they going to hear it without a preacher. And how are they going to
preach unless sent? I have to go. In 1 Corinthians 9:16, he says, “Woe is unto
me if I preachnot.” In Romans 1, he said, “I’m ready; I’m eager. Turn me
loose.”Becausehe was committed to the fruitfulness of ministry. He was
willing to take up his cross. He understood what was at stake. He understood
that there was no easyway to do that. There’s no clever wayto avoid hostility.
Oh, it may not be in every culture; it certainly isn’t in ours that somebody’s
going to kill you for preaching Christ. But there will be a negative reaction. I
mean that is basicallyinevitable. Somebodyis going to turn againstyou if
you’re bold in Christ. And if you’re trying to figure out a way not to be bold
in Christ, and not to speak the truth so it’s not offensive, you have probably
prostituted the message.
Paul says, “I have the suffering, and that’s my joy. So, you can have the
benefit. I’m disposable. I’m a clay pot. They break all the time, and God’s got
a lot of them in His shelf. It doesn’treally matter, for to me live is Christ, to
die is gain. Frankly, you’re nice, but I’d rather be with Him if given the
choice.”
Have they forgottenthis in Corinth? Have they forgottenwhat should grip
their hearts that the suffering of this man was not because he was homely, or
because he lackedcommunication skill, or because he was frank and bold, or
because he lackedmarketing savvy? Have they forgottenthat the reasonthis
man suffered so immensely was so that they could be saved? And they who

had been savedby the preaching of his gospel, had they forgotten. Boy, how
fickle people are.
He put his life on the line every day to preach the gospelto them. They
believed and were saved, and now they are defecting awayfrom him. That’s a
pretty short memory. You think of him, as he comes to the end of his life, and
he says, “All who are in Asia have forsakenme.” It’s unthinkable. It’s
unthinkable. And in effect, he’s saying to Timothy, “Pleasedon’t you do it.
Demas did it. Everybody else did it, but the house of Onesiphorus;please
don’t you do it. At my first offense, no one stood with me. No one. But the
Lord stoodwith me, and he delivered me out of the mouths of the lions.”
Here was the man who gave his life to bring them the gospel. They took the
gospel, believed, and were saved, and then defectedfrom the proper respect
and love for the man. They are the proof of the validity of his dying. They
shouldn’t be wondering about his suffering. This is the price to bring them
life. They were the living because ofhis dying.
Philip Edgcumbe Hughes writes, “It is the unconquerable life of the risen
Jesus within that enables his servants willingly and perpetually to be handed
over to death for His sake, inorder that the same life of Christ may be kindled
in the hearts of others, enabling them in turn to win others.”
This is the chain of faith unbroken through the ages. Godtakes the weak, and
the despised, and the persecuted, and the nothings, and the nobodies, and the
not many mighty, and the not many noble, and the base, and the common
folks who are losing their lives, who are giving their lives away, and He makes
them powerful. And they, in dying, become the agents of life, and another
generationlives to die so that others might live to die so that others may live to
die.”

Paul was powerful because he pursued fruitfulness. He lookedat the fruit of
his life. It didn’t matter what happened to him. “If I live, I live to the Lord; if
I die, I die unto the Lord. What is the difference?” Thatis not any issue.
A dear friend of mine was saying that they were inviting some people to speak
in Northern Ireland. They didn’t want to come because they were concerned
about the terrorists. Well, I understand a normal sense of self-preservation,
but what – don’t we have a sovereignGod? And what does it matter if I get
shot or you getshot anyway? That’s not the end of the kingdom purposes.
Someone may choose to shoota clay pot, and God will bring another one. He
buries His workmen, but His work goes on. Your life is nothing. It’s
expendable and you just obey God.
Paul says, “If in preaching the truth I’m persecuted, so I’ll be persecuted. If in
preaching the truth I’m killed, so I’ll be killed. That’s not an issue.” He was so
bent on the fruit; he knew you had to preach the truth so that the electcould
believe. And so, he preachedthe truth, whatever the cost. He was humble,
invincible, sacrificial, and fruitful.
Number five, he was faithful, another key to his power. This verse really
demands a series, and sometime I’ll preach it, but not this morning. Verse 13.
This is a tremendous verse. “But having the same spirit of faith, according to
what is written, ‘I believed, therefore I spoke,’we also believe, therefore also
we speak.” I just absolutely love that. That is the bottom line, folks. That is the
preacher’s bottom line right there.
What is that? What is Paul saying? He’s saying, “Look, if nobody listens to
me, if nobody believes me, if nobody is transformed, if they persecute me, if

they stone me, beat me with rods, and kill me, I will still preach because this is
what I” – what? – “I believe.”
Hey, we believe, so we speak. And he wants you to know that while he’s
concernedabout fruitfulness, he’s not a pragmatist. He’s not going to tweak
the message. Whathe’s going to do is preach what he believes. He is true to
his convictions. That’s integrity. If there are no benefits in this deal, if there
are no perks, if there’s no fruit, if there’s no nothing, if I, like Jeremiah, have
to preach my life awaywith nobody listening, so be it; I’ll still do it because
this what I believe. And that’s the bottom line for the preacher.
Now, let’s look at that verse in parts and watchhow that unfolds. He starts by
saying, “But having the same spirit of faith.” What does he mean? Not the
Holy Spirit, but the attitude of faith. He says, “Ihave the same kind of faith.”
Subjective not the content of the Christian faith, but, “I have the same kind of
subjective faith. That is to sayI believe in the same thing.” In what? “I believe
in the same thing, according to what is written” – perfecttense, what has been
written and now stands in an authoritative document. I believe in what has
been written in a document.” Well, what was it? Here’s what was written, “I
believed, therefore I spoke.” He says, “I have the same belief that the guy had
who wrote that.” That’s what he said.
Well, what’s he quoting? Psalm116, verse 10. He’s quoting Psalm116, verse
10, where the psalmist said, “I believed, therefore I spoke.”Don’tyou love
somebody who speaks their convictions? Isn’t it refreshing when you meet
somebody who has integrity? The psalmist said, “I believed, so I spoke.”
By the way, this is a quote out of the Septuagint, which is the Greek
translation. It varies a little bit from the Hebrew. But let me get the scenario
in your mind of the psalmist, in Psalm 116;he’s in some deep trouble. He’s

talking about the grave opening up, death looming over him. He is in fearfor
his life. And he’s very worried as that psalm opens. And then he begins to
remember that in the past, God has delivered him. So, he does two things: he
starts to pray, and he asks the Lord to deliver him. And he starts asking with
confidence, exalting the Lord, confidently asking Godto deliver him.
And then at verse 12 of that psalm, he just flips into praise, and he just spends
the restof the psalm, down through verse 19, praising and praising and
praising and praising God. And nothing’s changed.
And somebodycomes to him and says, “Well, you’re in the midst of this
problem, why are you speaking to God about it?”
“Because Ibelieve God answers prayer. I believe God is merciful, gracious,
kind, and compassionate,and I believe that about Him, so I spoke to Him.”
“Why are you praising God and praising God?”
“Because Ibelieve God is going to hear and answermy prayer. I believe in the
God who is there, who will hear and answermy prayer, meet my need, deliver
me from this situation. That’s why I pray, and that’s why I praise.” And
that’s that little line in verse 10, “I believed, and so I said.”
There are people who say, “You know, you just got to kind of soften it up a
little bit. You just can’t just sayit the way you say it, Paul. It’s offensive. You
can’t just go around preaching Christ and Him crucified, damnation, and
judgment, and repentance. It’s offensive.”

And Paul’s answeris, “I believed, therefore I spoke.”
This is the bottom line for the preacher. You can’t be concernedabout the
audience;you can only be concernedabout the truth.
I know there are people who say that to me from time to time, “You know,
you’re so strong about this, and you’re...”
And my answeris, “I believed, therefore I spoke.” It’s true. And when you see
someone who doesn’t have convictionin their preaching, it’s because they
don’t have conviction – where? – in their heart. Becausewhenyou are driven
by conviction, you speak it. A man with profound conviction doesn’tneed
somebody to tell him what to say; he just needs somebodyto sayit to. That’s
all.
Paul says, “Look, I – nobody may listen to me, and my whole life may blow up
in my face, and I might die, but I’m going to keepsaying what I’m saying,
because that’s what I believe. My faith compels me to preach.”
You can’t really believe the truth with all your heart and not long to proclaim
it. I mean I – I have to preach my convictions. I have to preach what I believe,
not only because Ihave a healthy fear of God, but because it’s just in me.
Paul says, “I’m going to preach what I believe.” I love that about him. That’s
why he was powerful, because he preachedwhat he believed, and what he
believed was true. I think that’s what grieves us with politicians. We just keep
waiting for someone who just speaks becausethey really believe something.
And it also grieves me with preachers. If you believe it, speak it. If it’s the

truth, God will energize it. No hesitation, no lack of trust, unwavering
confidence in God.
He showedthe same kind of faith the psalmist did, “I believe, I can’t be silent.
Suffering isn’t the issue with me. My reputation isn’t the issue. I am ready; I
am eager;I am obligated. Woe is unto me. I’m going to preach, because this is
what I believe.” Silence? Oh, that might mean comfort, popularity, prestige,
might even mean life – longer life, a little prosperity. Doesn’tmatter.
Luther stands at the Diet of Worms, and he says, “Here I stand. I can’t do
anything else.”
I can’t do anything else. You can’t make me saysomething I don’t believe.
You can’t make me recantwhat I do believe. I believe, so I speak.
You say, “But it offends people.”
That’s right, especiallyin this culture today. But it’s what you believe. And if
you believe the truth, you must speak. It’s true in your life, beloved; belief
impels testimony. Beliefimpels witness. We’re here to preachthe Word of
God. We believe it; we proclaim it. We believe it; we give witness to it. We are
calledto believe it, and then it becomes our message, does itnot? It’s why I
guess I can’t understand why there’s any other kind of preaching than the
preaching of the Word of God. What else is there? This is all we can preach
with conviction, because this is the truth. Oh that God would give us more
people with that kind of convictiontoday.

The clay pot then is humble, invincible, sacrificial, fruitful, and faithful.
Something else, number six, hopeful. Hopeful. You know, all of those good
attitudes only go to a point. And if this one wasn’t there, you’d have a hard
time hanging onto the others.
Look at verse 14. “We believe” – verse 13 says – “therefore we also speak,
knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus willraise us also with Jesus and
will present us with you.” What’s he talking about there? In one word, what’s
he talking about? Resurrection.
Now, what does resurrectionimply? Before you can rise, you have to – what?
– die. So, he knows that death is an inevitability. He is saying, “I canput my
life on the line. I can preachmy convictions. It really doesn’t matter to me
what men might think who reject the truth. For the sake of the elect, I will
preach the truth. For the sake ofthe sanctificationof the body of Christ, I will
preach the truth. For the sake, if need be, of filling up the afflictions that are
meant for Christ that are given to me because He’s not here, I’ll preach the
truth. Becausein the end, all they can do is kill me, and when they kill me, the
Lord’ll raise me up.”
We live in hope, don’t we? We live in hope. In fact, he felt it would be far
better to depart and be with Christ anyway, knowing that he who raisedthe
Lord Jesus – who is that? Who is He who raised the Lord Jesus? Godthe
Father. The New Testamentmakes it abundantly clearthat God raised up
Christ. Acts 2:24, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:22 to 22.
The Word of God promises us that we will be raised.
Paul says, “I may die. I’ll go into the grave. My spirit will go to be with Christ,
to depart and be with Christ,” he says. “Somedaymy body will come out of
that grave, in the greatresurrectionday, when the Church is raptured and

takento meet Christ. I live in that hope. And so, what does it matter if I die?
What does it matter what happens to this body? I know that God, who raised
Jesus from the dead, is going to raise us also with Jesus.”
See, he lived in the hope of eternallife and eternalreward. Somedaydeath
will come, as it does to all those who are not caughtup in the rapture. It holds
no fear for him. He couldn’t wait till this vile body became a body like Christ.
He couldn’t wait, as John saidit, to become like Christ when we see Him as
He is. He couldn’t wait for that time when the sufferings of this world would
pale in comparisonto what would happen to us when we entered into that
glory.
He says in 2 Timothy 4, “I am now ready to be offered. My time of departure
is at hand.” “Getme out of here,” he says. Henceforth, there’s laid up for me
a crownof righteousness.Deathwas gainfar better. So, he lived in hope.
That’s why it didn’t matter what happened in this life, because it mattered
only to him what happened in the life to come.
He said - you know, when they said to him on his way to Jerusalem, “You’re
going to get in prison; you might die.”
He said, “None of these things move me; I don’t count my life dear to myself. I
just want to finish the work.”
“I live in hope,” he says, “thatGod is going to raise us and present us with
you. We’re all going to be there someday. In the presence ofGod, the whole
bride will meet the bridegroom. I’ll risk death suffering, being weak, because
I live for eternal life, not temporal life.” He was willing to give his life because
of the hope of heaven for his sake, andall who are in Christ.

Well, I need to give you one final point. What made him powerful? He was
humble, invincible, sacrificial, fruitful, faithful, hopeful, and worshipful.
Worshipful. Nothing he ever did really was for him. Look at verse 15, “Forall
things are for your sakes.”I just do all this for you. I just live so that you can
live. I even die so that you canlive. I don’t have any self-interest. “And my
goalis for your sakes, but beyond that” – follow this – “in order that the grace
– the saving grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the
giving of thanks to redound to the glory of God.”
See, the ultimate goalwas the glory of God. “I do everything for your sakes so
that saving grace cancome to you so that you can be added to the hallelujah
chorus, who forever and ever and ever and ever will glorify God. That’s it. My
ultimate purpose is worship. My ultimate purpose is to worship the living and
true God with all my being, to do whatever I do for His glory.
“And my evangelistic efforts and my ministry toward you as believers to bring
you to sanctificationand maturity and thus make you reproductive is so that
more and more people cancome to faith in Christ and be added to the
hallelujah chorus, who foreverand ever and ever, as a part of the redeemed
humanity will praise and glorify God.”
Worshipful. He was really lost in wonder, love, and praise. What did he
matter? God mattered, and God’s glory mattered. The goalwas never his
comfort never his reputation, never his popularity, never his prosperity. It
ultimately wasn’teven the salvationof others. It was the glory of God. And he
was so driven and compelled to do everything he did by – by that motive, that
he even told the Corinthians, “Whateveryou do, whether you eat, or drink, or
whateveryou do, do it all to the glory of God.” He just wanted to add more
voices to the hallelujah chorus.

So, the servantof the Lord bathes his heart, and bathes his soul in the light of
the knowledge ofthe glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And he selflessly
reflects that vision, that majestic gospelglory to others so that they may be
savedand be added to that greatthrong of savedsinners who will have one
eternal purpose, fulfilled in heaven, to glorify God.
All the way through the new heavens and the new earth, we’ll redound the
praise from the voices of the redeemed. That’s the plan. And Paul says, “I’m
just a clay pot. I carry the treasure of new covenantgospelthat makes the
plan work.” We’re not mighty, and we’re not noble. I’m not; you’re not.
We’re clay pots. “But someday – someday,” Danielsays, “we will shine as the
stars forever.” We’ll stop being clay pots, and we’ll start being stars if we’ve
turned many to righteousness. Ouronly value is in the service we render,
beloved. It’s one thing to be a claypot, with nothing going on. It’s something
else to be a clay pot, carrying a priceless treasure.
I hope you’re faithful. You have the treasure, too. You understand the saving
gospel. You’re not a preacher, but you’re a witness. You don’t preach a
sermon, but you give a testimony. And if you want to be powerful and mighty,
follow the path and the pattern of Paul, who said, “Be ye followers of me, as I
am of Christ.” Let’s bow in prayer.
What a joy it is, our Father, to see the life of this most noble servant. How
weak we feel. We even ask the question, “If he was a clay pot, we must be
something less, are we not?” And yet, Lord, we know that in our weakness,
Your strength is perfected. I just trust that we can be used for honorable
purposes and not dishonorable ones.

O Father, help us to setour lives aside and find that humility that leads to
invincibility, that sacrifice that leads to fruitfulness, that faithfulness that
leads to hope. And help us to live a life of worship. May we be consumed with
glorifying You, and may we know that You are most glorified when someone
else is redeemed, because then there is a whole life forever to Your praise.
Make us faithful to proclaim Your truth, at any cost, with the confidence that
You’ll work through the truth, and that if, in fact, people rejectand refuse
and show us animosity and oppositionand bitterness, it’s not because there’s’
something wrong with the messageorthe messenger, but as Paul said, “The
god of this world has blinded their minds.”
And we would plead with You, O God, who said, “Let light shine out of
darkness,” to shine in their hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of
Yourself in the face of Jesus Christ. May we be what You would want us to be.
May we be fit for the Master’s use, in Christ’s name, amen.
CHRIS BENFIELD
Anticipation by Faith (14) – Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus
shall raise up us also by
Jesus, and shall present us with you. Another factor that helped Paul
persevere in ministry was his
anticipation in the Lord by faith. Consider:
A. The Acceptance (14a) – Knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus
Jesus. He speaks ofthe resurrectionof Christ from the dead by the power of
God. He knew that

the wagesofsin is death. Being born in sin, we all were separatedand
condemned of God.
Becauseofour condemned state, we were destined for eternaldeath and
separationfrom God.
Through Christ we escape the penalty of death and have the assurance of
acceptanceby God
through our faith in Christ. Not only are we forgiven of sin, we are reconciled
to God and promised
February 14, 2016
P a s t o r C h r i s B e n f i e l d , F e l l o w s h i p M i s s i o n a r y B a p t i s t
C h u r c h Page 3
eternal life in Christ! We are acceptedof God, placed within His family,
through our relationship
with the Son. BecauseofChrist, we have the privilege of eternallife in the
presence ofthe Lord.
 Being acceptedofGod, added to the beloved, ought to serve as motivation to
persevere for
Him. Christ gave Himself the atoning sacrifice for sin. He resurrected
victorious overdeath and the
grave. We have the promise of eternal life in Him. We will spend far longer
with the Lord in eternity
than we will in these bodies of flesh. Our time is limited to serve the Lord here
on earth. Our
acceptanceby Him should motivate us to a life of committed service.
B. The Appearance (14b) – Knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus

Jesus, and shall present us with you. The promise of eternal life, resurrected
in Christ is real for
every believer. Paul assuredthose in Corinth, who had believed in Christ, that
they would be
presentedwith Paul as they stoodbefore the Lord. Just as he would be
acceptedofthe Lord, so
would they. This promise was not reservedfor a selectfew, but promised to all
the saved. They
would be gatheredtogetherto meet the Lord in the air, and so would they
ever be with the Lord.
 Having the promise of eternallife is enough to motivate our service, but the
promise of
eternal life for others should genuinely motivate us. Christ came to save
whosoever. None are
beyond the reach of grace. All the savedwill spend eternity with the Lord. We
have the awesome
privilege of telling others how they too canexperience salvationand receive
eternal life! We will
join those saints who have gone before us. There will be a grand reunion of
the redeemedin
heaven! I want to press on for the glory of God and the good of others.
JIM BOMKAMP
VS 4:14 - “14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us
also with Jesus and will present us with you.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that

he and those with him have another connecting point, Jesus will raise all of
them togetherfrom the dead
5.1. As we have seenthroughout this book, the apostle Paul is trying to
identify as many connecting points as he can with the Corinthians so that he
can restore the relationship with them which had been sorely damageddue in
large part to the undermining of his authority and credibility by the ‘super-
apostles’who had come in among the Corinthians.
5.2. This verse is an encouragementto us as Christians that we will be
restoredone day to our departed loved ones of the faith, and that we will even
recognize them on that day.
Rev. David Holwick
Put your life in the largercontext.
A. There are two sides to reality.
1) Moment / eternity; visible / invisible.
2) Culture of instant everything makes us lose perspective
of time.

3) There is supernatural assistance forus.
B. The certainty of our resurrection. 4:14
1) If God can raise people from the dead, he can do anything.
Some years ago Billy Graham's Decisionmagazine printed a
a wonderful testimony.
You can't tell if it comes from a man or a woman because only
the initials of the writer were published:
"Fora long time I had been bitter about life.
It seemedto have dealt me a dirty blow, for since I was 12

years old I have been waiting for death to close in on me.
It was at that time I learnedI had muscular dystrophy.
I fought hard againstthis disease andexercisedhard, but
to no avail.
I only grew weaker.
All I could see was what I had missed.
My friends went awayto college, then gotmarried and started
having families of their own.
When I lay in bed at night thinking, despair would creepfrom
the dark corners to haunt me.

Life was meaningless.
In March of last yearmy mother brought home from our public
library Billy Graham's book "World Aflame."
I startedreading it, and as I read I realized that I
wantedGod.
I wantedthere to be a meaning to life.
I wantedto receive this deep faith and peace.
All I know is that now my life has changedand I now have
joy in living.
No longer is the universe chaotic.

No longer does life have no goal.
No longer is there no hope.
There is instead "Godwho so loved the world that he gave
his only Son that whoeverbelieves in him should not perish
but have eternal life."
I continue to grow weaker.
I am close to being totally helpless and am in pain most of
the time.
But sometimes I am so glad I am alive that it is hard to
keepmyself from bursting at the seams.

I cansee for the first time the beauty all around me, and
I realize how very lucky I am.
Despairis such a waste oftime when there is joy; and lack
of faith is such a waste of time when there is God."
1) This is the kind of thanksgiving that glorifies God.
2) Out of the midst of the pain, the pressure, the heartache,
and the perplexities there comes a joy, a strength, a
faith, and a love that makes clearthat the power
is not coming from us, but from God.
J. H. BERNARD

Verse 14
Corinthians 4:12), we trust that we too shall share in that Risen Life of Christ.
εἰδότες ὅτι κ. τ. λ.: knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus (see reff.)
JOSEPHBEET
2 Corinthians 2:14-15. Knowing that etc.:parallel with “we believe,” giving
the assurancewhichmoves him to speak. Cp. 1 Corinthians 15:58; Romans
5:3. By faith he knows. So 2 Corinthians 5:1. For he believes, on sufficient
grounds, that which will come true. Such belief is knowledge.
Raisedthe Lord Jesus:the divine acton which rests Paul’s assurancethat he
will himself be raised. Cp. 1 Corinthians 6:14; Romans 8:11.
With Jesus. Since our resurrectionat the last day is a result of Christ’s
resurrection, wrought by the same power, in consequence ofour present
spiritual union with Christ, and is a part of that heritage which we share with
Christ, Paul overlooks the separationin time and thinks of his own
resurrectionand Christ’s as one divine act. Cp. Colossians 3:1;Ephesians 2:5
f.

Will present: before the throne amid the splendors of that day. Cp. Colossians
1:22.
With you] Amid perils Paul is encouragedby knowing that in glory he will be
accompaniedby those whom he his now laboring to save. These words keep
before us the thought of “atwork with you” in 2 Corinthians 4:12. They are
also a courteous recognitionof his readers’true piety. 2 Corinthians 4:15
develops with you in 2 Corinthians 4:14, thus leading the way to (8.
2 Corinthians 4:14
14. knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus]Here we have the source
of the Apostle’s faith and confidence. He knew that the Resurrectionof Christ
was an accomplishedfact(see notes on 1 Corinthians 15, and Introduction to
First Epistle). Hence arose his persuasionthat a life was given to him which
should survive and overcome even death itself.
by Jesus]All recent editors substitute with Jesus, which, however, does not
mean at the same time with, but by virtue of the operationof the same life and
spirit. For the life that dwells in Jesus dwells also in His disciples, John 6:54.
We are the members, Christ the Head; we are the crop, Christ the firstfruits,
1 Corinthians 15:23. Cf. Romans 1:4, as wellas ch. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, and

Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:13. Chrysostomomits the words altogether.
Meyer remarks that though St Paul believed that he and the majority of his
readers would live to see the actual coming of Christ in the flesh, the
possibility that this might not be the case was everbefore his eyes. See 1
Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:15.
and shall present us with you] i.e. shall place us in His own Presence. Cf.
Romans 14:10; Colossians 1:22;Jude 24; ch. 2 Corinthians 5:10, and 1
Corinthians 8:8, and note.
CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
RICH CATHERS
14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shallraise up us also by
Paul is confident that if God raised Jesus from the dead, that he would be
raisedfrom the dead too. He’s not worried if he dies from all the hardships
he’s facing. He’ll be raised one day.
What can you do to a person like this?
Even the fear of death won’t slow him down.
This is just like Shadrach, Meshach, andAbed-nego:

(Dan 3:17-18 KJV) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O
king. {18} But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
JAMES DENNY
What an interesting illustration this is of the communion of the saints!Paul
recognizes a spiritual kinsman in the writer of the Psalm; faith in God, the
powerwhich faith confers, the obligations which faith imposes, are the same
in all ages. He recognizes spiritualkinsmen in the Corinthians also. All his
sufferings have their interests in view, and it is part of his joy, as he looks on
to the future, that when God raises him from the dead, as He raised His own
Son, He will presenthim along with them. Their unity will not be dissolved by
death. The word here rendered "present" has often a technical sense in Paul’s
Epistles;it is almost appropriated to the presenting of men before the
judgment-seat of Christ. Goodscholars insist on that meaning here; but even
with the proviso that acceptancein the judgment is taken for granted, I
cannot feelthat it is quite congruous. There is such a thing as presentationto
a sovereignas wellas to a judge-the presenting of the bride to the bridegroom
on the wedding day as well as of the criminal to the justice-and it is the great
and glad occasionwhichanswers to the feeling in the Apostle’s mind. The
communion of the saints, in virtue of which his sufferings bring blessing to the
Corinthians, has its issue in the joyful union of all before the throne. As Paul
thinks of that, he sees anend in the Gospellying beyond the blessing it brings
to men. That end is God’s glory. The more he toils and suffers, the more
God’s grace is made known and received; and the more it is received, the
more does it cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

Two practicalreflections present themselves here, nearly related to each
other. The first is that faith naturally speaks;the second, that grace merits
thanksgiving. Put the two into one, and we may say that grace receivedby
faith merits articulate thanksgiving. Much modern faith is inarticulate, and it
is far too soothing to be true if we say, Betterso. Of course the utterance of
faith is not prescribedto it; to be of any value it must be spontaneous. Notall
the believing are to be teachers and preachers, but all are to be confessors.
Every one who has faith has a witness to bear to God. Every one who has
acceptedGod’s grace by faith has a thankful acknowledgmentof it to make,
and at some time or other to make in words. It is not the faculty of speechthat
is wanting where this is not done; it is courage andgratitude; it is the same
Spirit of faith which prompted the Psalmistand St. Paul. It is true that
hypocrites sometimes speak, andthat testimonies and thanksgivings are apt to
be discredited on their account;but bad money would never be put in
circulation unless goodmoney was indisputably valuable. It is not the dumb,
but the confessing Christian, not the taciturn, but the outspokenlythankful,
who glorifies God, and helps on the Gospel. Calvin is properly severe onour
"pseudo-Nicodemi,"who make a merit of their silence, and boastthat they
have never by a syllable betrayed their faith. Faith is betrayed in another and
more serious sense whenit is kept secret.
DOUG GOINS
So, again, what motivates a personwhether it’s the psalmist, the apostle Paul,
or Greg Lundstedt to keepliving sacrificially
for Jesus’sake? To keeptelling the truth regardless ofpersonal
consequences?We find the answerin verse 14, the
confidence of resurrectionpower at work:

...we speak;knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus willraise us also with
Jesus and will
present us with you.
Just like the psalmist had been rescuedfrom this life threatening danger, Paul
himself has experienced resurrectionpowerin
his ownlife and ministry. This verse echoesthe story that Paul told in the
beginning of the letter, 2 Corinthians 1:8-10.
Notice how it parallels Psalm116, along with this verse of chapter 4:
For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came
to us in Asia, that we were
burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despairedeven of life;
indeed, we had the sentence
of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in
God who raises the dead;
who delivered us from so greata peril of death, and will deliver us, He on
whom we have setour hope.
And He will yet deliver us....”
In his life, Paul experienceddeliverance like that on a number of different
occasions.He understoodthat one day death
would finally claim him, as it will every one of us. But Paul wasn’tthe leastbit
intimidated by the prospect. The powerof
God that has raised Jesus Christ from the dead and the powerof God that has
been at work in Paul’s life in all
circumstances, is the same power that will raise him to eternal life from death.
Paul is echoing the joyful messageofthe
early church: that Jesus Christ is victor over death.
Displaying the Glory of God, 2 Cor. 4:12-15 - #4640- page 6

Verse 14 also folds us into that because Paulsees this amazing, exciting
reunion of God’s people with him:
...knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus willraise us also with Jesus and
will present us with
you.
Paul anticipates standing togetherwith all the believers in Jesus Christ who
have ever lived. What that means for us is if we
know Jesus and have a relationship with him, the Bible says that we are “in
Christ.” We have union with him and we are
going to remain in that union whether we are dead or alive. His resurrection
guarantees ourresurrection, collectively, so the
communion of the saints, the body of Christ, can’t be destroyed by death. The
unity of the body of Christ is even
maintained in eternity. I appreciate how Larry Crabb describes it in his book
Finding God:
One day, we move from this world to the next. And our Lord greets us with a
bear hug. We collapse
before Him in reverence and wonder, but His embrace keeps us close. He
laughs and says, “Look
behind you!”
And there is our parents who died years ago, happier than we’ve ever seen
them, and our sister, and
our miscarriedbaby, and Dr. Luke and Elijah and Enoch. Now we’re
laughing. We can’t stop. And
the sweetestvoice in all creationsays “Welcome. You’re finally home!” (2)
That is what we have to look forward to. The unity that God has createdhere
will be carried into the reality of eternity, a

heavenly reunion.
JOHN GILL
Verse 14
Knowing that he which raisedup the Lord Jesus,....Besideshaving the same
spirit of faith, mentioned in the preceding verse as a support under
tribulation, the apostle proceeds in this, and some following verses, to take
notice of other things which gave them relief under their pressures;such as
the resurrectionfrom the dead, all their afflictions being for the goodof the
churches and glory of God, the inward and comfortable experiences ofthe
love and grace ofGod in the midst of them, and the end and issue of them,
eternal glory. The former of these is observed here; "knowing", being firmly
persuaded, and fully assured, that he "which raisedup the Lord Jesus";by
whom God the Father is more especiallydesigned, though not to the exclusion
of the Son and Spirit, who were jointly concernedin raising the dead body of
our Lord: shall raise us up also by Jesus;which may regardthe resurrection
of all the saints by Christ, not as a mere instrument, but as a co-efficientcause
with the Fatherand Spirit: this the apostle concludes from the powerof God
in raising up Christ from the dead; he that is able to do the one, is certainly of
powerto effectthe other; and also from that union there is betweenChrist
and his people; he is the head, they are his members; and because the head is
raised, the members shall be likewise. Christ's resurrectionis not only the
pattern, but the pledge of the resurrectionof the saints. Now this doctrine, as
it was fully known, and firmly believed by the apostles, was ofgreatuse to
bear them up under their outward troubles; for though they were so afflicted
and persecuted, deathwas visibly working in them, and they might expectin a
short time to be laid in the grave; yet this was their consolation, thatthey
should be raisedagain immortal and glorious by Christ; some copies read,
"with Jesus", andso the Vulgate Latin version: "he shall present us with

you"; that is, he will present us ministers, togetherwith you the saints, and the
rest of the electof God; first, ‫,היתול‬ "to himself", as the Syriac version adds,
and then to his Father, in their full number, completely righteous and holy.
These words indeed may be understood of a deliverance from temporal
affliction, from that death they were labouring under, and exposedunto, and
the sense be this; we firmly believe that he that raisedup Christ from the
dead, will deliver us from the present death of affliction, which will be a sort
of resurrectionfrom the dead, and will make us to stand by you, or in your
presence;or, in other words, being thus delivered, we shall have an
opportunity of visiting you, we have so long desired, and you have expected,
which will be to your edificationand comfort.
Third Millennium Study Bible
Notes on 2 Corinthians 4:13-18
So that the grace that is reaching more and more people - 2 Corinthians 4:13-
15
If faith is genuine, it normally expresses itselfin words that affirm confidence
in what God has promised. Why had Paul spokenof the suffering and blessing
of being a minister of the Gospel? How did he hold both of these themes
together? See WCF 8.8;14.1;WLC 32, 59, 72.
Paul quotes Psalm116:10 from the Septuagint (the LXX, the Greek
translation of the Old Testament), referring to one line: "I believed; therefore
I have spoken." Psalm116 is a prayer of thanksgiving for God's deliverance
from affliction. In this verse (Psa. 116:10)the psalmist recounted how he had
trusted the Lord and how he had spokenof his afflictions to the Lord. He had
done so with the hope that the Lord would answerhis prayer and deliver him.

Paul probably thought of this psalm because it coupled these ideas of faith
with complaints of the suffering and death of God's servants. For instance,
Psalm116:3 reads, "The cords of death entangledme, the anguish of the
grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow."
Similarly, Psalm116:15 proclaims, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the
death of his saints." Paulhad just written that he had been persecutedand
had despairedand that death workedin him. Still, his faith remained strong.
Under these conditions, he identified with the psalmist. He quotes the
psalmist's assertionoffaith, implying that he speaks with that same spirit of
faith. Just like the psalmist, he and his company also believedand therefore
spoke laments over their suffering, as well as praise for divine deliverance.
Paul explains why he believed that even in the midst of great suffering God
would deliver the ministers of the gospel. His reasonbegins with the
affirmation that God raisedthe Lord Jesus from the dead. Yet, this conviction
about Jesus bore on the subject at hand only because Paulalso believedthat
God would also raise him and his fellow ministers with Jesus, just as he would
raise all believers.
Paul adds another thought that expressesthe greatnessofhis vision even
further. Not only will God eventually raise ministers of the Gospelwith
Christ, he will also present us (ministers of the Gospel)with you (the
Corinthians) in his presence. Paulhoped that God would rewardhim and
other ministers for their suffering by resurrecting them in Christ, but he also
believed they would share that resurrection life with all believers. In this way,
the suffering of those who proclaim the Gospelresults in life for all believers.

Then Paul outlines the goalof Christian ministry. The glory and honor of God
are the final goal, but the steps toward reaching that goalinclude the benefit
of those who receive ministry and the increasing numbers of people who
benefit. The more people redeemedand the more greatlythey are blessed, the
more honor Godreceives (2 Cor. 1:11). As Pratt says: "The ultimate purpose
of the apostolic ministry was that the gospelmight reachmore and more
people throughout the world. These people would then cause thanksgiving to
overflow to the glory of God."
Paul was ever and always an evangelist.
Inwardly we are being renewedday by day - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Paul says, "we do not lose heart." This phrase repeats what Paul said in 2
Corinthians 4:1. God would bring glory to himself, even through the
weaknessesand discouragements ofPaul's ministry.
Paul states that "outwardly we are wasting away" but "inwardly we are being
renewedday by day." The contrastbetweenoutward and inward is not simply
one betweenthe body and the soul but also betweenthe old, fallen nature and
the renewedhumanity. Pratt clarifies and explains:
As he had alreadyillustrated so clearly, the apostle could draw a sharp
distinction betweenwhat was happening to him outwardly and inwardly. In
terms of his physical existence - what he called"jars of clay" - the suffering
and hardship he faced as an apostle causedhim to saythat he was wasting
away. This assessmentof the human condition is true in a generalsense for
everyone. On a physical level, we are all moving toward death. Yet, Paul had
in mind not only physical suffering but hardships of every kind. In terms of
the externals of his life, Paul was wasting away.

By contrast, inwardly Paul found the opposite to be true. He was being
renewedday by day. This distinction betweenthe outward and inward
dimensions of human existence does not indicate that Paul hated his body or
that he wished to escape physicalexistence. Onthe contrary, to be without
ones body was to be in a state of nakedness thatcould be remedied only by the
physical resurrectionwhen Christ returns.
At the present time, though, a paradoxicalsituation exists for followers of
Christ. On the one hand, they have believed the gospeland have been granted
salvation. The Holy Spirit lives within believers as the "depositguaranteeing
our inheritance" (Eph. 1:14), bringing many spiritual blessings into their
lives. On the other hand, they have yet to be granted full salvation, including
the resurrectionof their bodies at the end of the age. This is why Paul spoke of
himself as decaying and being renewedat the same time. As he waitedfor his
physical existence to be renewedat the resurrection, he took comfort and joy
in the renewalof his inward person by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Although Paul's trials were not minor by ordinary assessment(2 Cor. 4:8-12;
6:4-10; 11:23-33), in comparisonwith the eternalglory that would one day be
his, Paul saw them to be mild and transitory. Paul viewedtroubles as
preparation for a greatfuture reward for believers. A believer's faith and
obedience in suffering are pleasing and memorable to God(Rom. 8:17-18;1
Pet. 1:6-7). However, not all suffering is in itself pleasing to God. Only that
suffering endured in faith ("for Jesus sake" 2 Cor. 4:11) will receive God's
commendation.
Paul says, "whatis unseen . . . is eternal." This is a frequent theme in this
epistle. The unseen world is most important because it will become the new
heavens and earth we inherit when Christ returns. The visible world in which
we now live is passing away. Pratt remarks:

Future salvationwill be physical as well as spiritual, but it is unseen because it
has not yet come. By fixing his attention on the future salvationin Christ, Paul
found strength in the disappointments and hardships of this life. Why did this
concentrationon the future help Paul so much? He explained that the value of
this gaze into the future rests in the fact that what can be seennow is
temporary; it will pass awayat death and at the return of Christ. But the
unseen, the future salvation to come at Christs return, is eternal. Once Christ
returns in glory and brings the fullness of salvationto his people, that state of
blessing will never end.
BRUCE HURT
2 Corinthians 4:14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us
also with Jesus and will present us with you. (NASB: Lockman)
Greek : eidotes (RAPMPN)oti o egeiras (AAPMSN)ton kurion Iesoun kai
emas sun Iesouegerei(3SFAI)kai parastesei(3SFAI)sun humin.
Amplified: Assured that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up
also with Jesus and bring us [along] with you into His presence. (Lockman)
Barclay:for we know that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up
also with Jesus, andwill present us with you. (WestminsterPress)

God's Word: We know that the one who brought the Lord Jesus back to life
will also bring us back to life through Jesus. He will present us to God
togetherwith you. (GWT)
EasyEnglish: We know this: He who made Jesus alive after his death will also
give us life with him. He will take us with you to where he is.
ESV: knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus
and bring us with you into his presence. (ESV)
KJV: Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shallraise up us also
by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
NET:We do so because we know that the one who raised up Jesus will also
raise us up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence. (NET
Bible)
NIV: because we know that the one who raisedthe Lord Jesus from the dead
will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. (NIV -
IBS)
NLT: We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, willalso raise us with
Jesus and present us to himself togetherwith you. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: For we too speak becausewe believe, and we know for certainthat he
who raisedthe Lord Jesus from death shall also by him raise us. We shall all
stand togetherbefore him. (Phillips: Touchstone)

Weymouth: For we know that He who raisedthe Lord Jesus from the dead
will raise us also to be with Jesus, and will cause both us and you to stand in
His own presence. .
Wuest: knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus shallalso raise us with
Jesus and shall present us with you,
Young's Literal: knowing that He who did raise up the Lord Jesus, us also
through Jesus shallraise up, and shall present with you,
KNOWING THAT HE WHO RAISED THE LORD JESUS WILL RAISE US
ALSO WITH JESUS AND WILL PRESENT US WITH YOU: eidotes
(RAPMPN)hoti o egeiras (AAPMSN)ton kurion Iesounkai hemas sun Iesou
egerei(3SFAI)kai parastesei(3SFAI)sun humin:
That: 2Co 5:1-4 Isa 26:19 Jn 11:25,26 Ro 8:11 1Co 6:14 15:20-22 1Th4:14
Will present: 2Co 11:2 Eph 5:27 Col 1:22,28 Jude 1:24
2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
FUTURE HOPE
FUELS
PRESENTFAITH
The idea continued from the 2Co 4:13 is that "we also speak"(ultimately the
Gospelof Jesus Christ) "becausewe know, because we are assured" ofthe
truth of His resurrection. If you don't fear death, then you have nothing to

Jesus was the one with whom we will be raised

Jesus was the one with whom we will be raised

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was the one with whom we will be raised

Similar to Jesus was the one with whom we will be raised (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (17)

Jesus was the one with whom we will be raised