Instead, Calvin gives a good sense of what we should understand by the phrase "For just as chaste and honourable women are content with the gracefulness of natural beauty and do not resort to artificial adornments, whereas harlots never think themselves well adorned until they have corrupted nature, so Paul's boast that he has set forth the pure Gospel whereas others have offered a counterfeit Gospel decked out with unworthy additions."

In these first two verses, he has made it clear that he has not suffered because he has been an unfaithful minister of the gospel. A verification email has been sent to the address you provided.Renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfullyEven if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishingLest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ … should shine on themThe God who commanded light to shine out of darknessTo give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of GodThat the excellence of the power may be of God and not of usthe excellence of the power may be of God and not of ushard pressed … perplexed … persecuted … struck downnot crushed … not in despair … not forsaken … not destroyedAlways carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifestedalways carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord JesusAlways delivered to death … death is working in us, but life in youKnowing that He who raise up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesusmay cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of GodEven though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by dayWe do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen

We shared with her that we were very sorry to hear that. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. It was for more than just themselves. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. As a young man I had a great many ambitions, but there came a day when I died to all these things, and I said, “Henceforth, Lord Jesus, not my will but Thine,” and from that day God began to work in and through me.’”That’s what God wants to do in us, dear brothers and sisters. It is the most life-transforming power on earth. He has placed the glory of the light of the gospel of His Son in us; and has commissioned us to bear that light in this world. "Certain divines tell us that they must adapt truth to the advance of the age, which means that they must murder it and fling its dead body to the dogs … which simply means that a popular lie shall take the place of an offensive truth." Often, as they walk out the door with their box of donuts, they give us the thumbs-up when they see our Bible’s. He said, “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ .

iii. He preached Jesus! You’d think that such a precious treasure (truly the most precious treasure on earth—given the power it has to change lives) would be kept in something worthy of it.

He produces life through death. He was comforted in his tribulation;The specifics of Paul’s suffering, as it related to the Corinthians, isn’t told to us. As he went on to say, “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (v. 11). Think of the times he was sitting in a prison cell, awaiting what may well have been his execution the next day! Not everyone who opens a Bible and starts talking is preaching The King James Version translates the end of verse four: She accepted our offer; and I think it was an encouragement to her. iii. It is, as Paul wrote elsewhere, “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). That wasn't the case at all. (2Co 4:17-18) A coming … “I couldn’t help noticing your Bibles. Some have walked up to say that it’s good to see a group of men studying the word together. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Is God taking you through a time in which He is stripping you of your reliance on self? "To make the end of preaching the inculcation of virtue, to render men honest, sober, benevolent and faithful, is part and parcel of that wisdom of the world that is foolishness with God. And I told her I understood how she felt. It would have been easy for Paul's enemies to claim, "He suffers so much because God is punishing him because he is unfaithful." She just wanted to see someone live out the truth with integrity.

But we have, this treasure in earthen vessels This is a further commendation of the Gospel; and by which the apostle removes an objection against it, taken from the cross and persecutions that attend it, and the outward meanness of the ministers of it. This should be a good way to describe every Christian: people with shining hearts. Remember that woman in the donut shop?

. ii. At Home with the Lord. and puts himself back into darkness. ii. This is how God uses us to impact others with the message of His gospel. It may well be that I will not live to see this day’s end.” And then, I suspect that he would pray, “Lord Jesus, just as you laid down Your life for me, I now lay down my life for You. Are you a group of pastors?” None of them wanted to claim As we all sat there looking sideways at each other, we weren’t sure how to react to this. But in order for the power of that gospel to be fully displayed in us, we must first be broken of self.I wonder if there are some of us here today who God is seeking to break of self—so that the excellence of the power of His glory might be put on display to the world?Paul says, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed . Paul’s suffering—and the suffering of his co-workers—was so intense that he wished he could die. ii. 8-9).I made an interesting discovery as I looked at the original language of this verse. He once told the Corinthians, “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). I myself had been disappointed by others who call themselves Christians. i. It’s a great passage for admitting that we, who bear this message of Jesus Christ in this world, do so as ‘imperfect containers’. He, of course, had a particular commission of the preaching of that gospel; but it’s a gospel that you and I also bear in this world.What a precious “treasure” it is that has been entrusted to us! We don’t have to be afraid of this; because we will be raised together, and presented to together before Him to His glory. L'Évangile est voilé aux uns, révélé aux autres. conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy