2 Corinthians 4:1–6 – We Preach Jesus
There are people who think that they can make the gospel of Jesus Christ more attractive by dressing it up. In this passage, Paul firmly renounces any belief or any practice that tries to make the gospel more attractive. He steadfastly maintains that what God has given is the best. Paul renounced any teaching or practice that would disguise the face of Jesus.
Why do some dress up the gospel? Paul uses several terms to describe the false teachers in this passage. They have the idea that the gospel of Jesus Christ is somehow not quite enough. So they need to elaborate, or they need something more added to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And they take what is true, and they twist it just a little bit. They add to it. They were saying yes, you need Jesus, but you also need these things.You need the law of Moses. You need to obey that law for your salvation. What Paul says is that we renounce any belief or practice that tries to dress up the Gospel of Jesus. Paul reminds the Corinthians that we preach Christ. This is the truth. And why would some try to dress it up? Because they are not satisfied with that message of grace alone and faith alone. As Paul says, God has given us what’s best. We don’t turn aside from that. We don’t add to it to seemingly make it more attractive.
Why do some not respond to this precious message? Jesus describes it as a pearl of great price. So, with the preciousness of that treasure in front of you, why would some not respond? Paul answers this question by saying that the gospel is veiled. Those who are perishing do not respond because they are blind to the light of the gospel. It’s not blindness of the eyes, but blindness of the heart. And Paul says that the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. Paul is referring to Satan. It’s important to understand that God and Satan are not co-equals. There is only one God. But the enemy is active, the Bible says. In our natural state, mankind belongs to Satan. And because of that, because we are born in that condition, we are blinded to the light of the Gospel. We are blinded so that we cannot see the glory of the message of Jesus Christ, and God judges those in their unbelief.
Question
- Why do some dress up the gospel?
Prayer Points
- Pray for those who are blinded by unbelief.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.