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In this chapter we have an account, I. Of the constancy of the apostle and his fellow-labourers in their work. Their constancy in declared (Co2 4:1), their sincerity is vouched (Co2 4:2), an objection is obviated (Co2 4:3, Co2 4:4), and their integrity proved (Co2 4:5-7). II. Of their courage and patience under their sufferings. Where see what their sufferings were, together with their allays (Co2 4:8-12), and what it was that kept them from sinking and fainting under them (Co2 4:13 to the end).

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS 4 In this chapter, the apostle declares the constancy, sincerity, and integrity of him, and his fellow ministers, in preaching the Gospel; asserts the clearness and perspicuity of it; removes the charge of pride and arrogance from them; takes notice of the afflictions he and others endured, for the sake of the Gospel; what supports they had under them, and what comforts they enjoyed: in Co2 4:1 he observes, that seeing they were employed in such a ministry, as before described in the preceding chapter, though they met with troubles in it, they did not sink under them; the reason of which was, partly the excellency of the ministry, and partly the grace and mercy of God; and they were no less sincere than they were diligent; and were the reverse of the false teachers, who used dishonest methods, craftiness and deceit; these they disclaimed, and delivered out naked truth, with all simplicity and evidence, and as in the sight of God, in confirmation of which they could appeal to the consciences of all that heard them, Co2 4:2 and whereas the apostle had affirmed the plainness and clearness of the Gospel ministry, both in the preceding chapter, and in the foregoing verse, he foresaw that an objection would be raised against it, which he anticipates, Co2 4:3 showing, that though the Gospel was not spiritually discerned and savingly understood by some persons, yet this was not to be charged upon the Gospel, as if it was attended with darkness and obscurity; but it was owing to the unbelief of men, and the power of Satan over them, in blinding their minds; otherwise the Gospel in itself was light and glorious, in which Christ, the image of God, in a most resplendent manner appears; and those on whom Satan thus wrought were such as did not belong to God's elect, but were of the number of them that perish: moreover the integrity of the apostle and other ministers appeared in their preaching Christ, and not themselves; and in serving the churches in that way, for the sake of Christ; so that they were far from being chargeable with pride, vanity, and arrogance, Co2 4:5 and they readily acknowledged, that all the Gospel light they had was from that God, who spoke light out of darkness in the first creation, whereby they were qualified to communicate light to others, in the name of Christ, Co2 4:6 and though they had a treasure committed to their trust, and which they had within them, yet they freely owned they were but earthen vessels; and the reason why such treasure was put there was, that the power seen in the conversion of sinners by their ministry might appear to be not of themselves, but of the Lord, Co2 4:7 and then the apostle proceeds to give an account of the afflictions endured by them, and of the divine supports they had, by which they were preserved from being overwhelmed with them, Co2 4:8 one end of which afflictions, and which are signified by bearing the dying of Jesus in their bodies, and by being exposed to death for his sake, was, that his life might be manifest in them, or his power in the upholding of them, Co2 4:10 and herein lay the difference between them and the Corinthians; the one were in deaths oft, and in very great distresses, and the other in prosperous circumstances, Co2 4:12 but however, they had much consolation amidst their sorrows and troubles, and which they had partly through the Spirit of faith, and in a way of believing; and who after the example of David, and having the same Spirit as he had, believed and spake, Co2 4:13 and partly through the hope of the resurrection of the dead, to which they were encouraged by the resurrection of Christ, Co2 4:14 as also by considering what valuable ends were answered by their bearing afflictions for the sake of Christ, and preaching the Gospel, namely the good of the churches of Christ, and the glory of God, Co2 4:15 and besides, they had an experience of the daily renovation of the inward man, or of the carrying on of the work of grace upon their souls; and of an increase of grace, right, and joy in them; and this kept them from fainting, though their outward circumstances and outward man were but in a poor condition, Co2 4:16 but more especially what raised their spirits, and kept them from sinking under their afflictions, was the view they had of eternal glory and happiness, to which they had respect; and the comparison they were led to make between their present afflictions, and glory, which their afflictions were working for as, that their afflictions were light, glory heavy; their afflictions were but for a moment, their weight of glory was for ever; their afflictions were seen and temporal, their glory unseen and eternal; or the things of this world, which they often needed, and yet did not regard, were visible and temporary things; but the things of another world they had their eye upon were invisible, only visible to faith, and would endure for ever.

We having the same Spirit of faith,.... By faith here is meant, not the doctrine, but the grace of faith; a believing in the doctrines of the Gospel, and in the person of Christ; an exercise of that grace upon the death and resurrection of Christ; and particularly a looking by faith in full expectation of the saints' resurrection from the dead, and eternal glory, together with a reliance on the power, faithfulness, and promises of God to support under the afflictions of this life. Now of this faith the Spirit of God is the author; this is not of ourselves, of our own power, it is the free gift of God, and a valuable gift it is; it is of the operation of God, and the produce of his almighty power; and of this the Spirit of God, in conversion, is the powerful operator: hence he is here called the "Spirit of faith". So the "third" number in the Cabalistic tree of the Jews, the intelligence sanctifying, which answers to the third person in our doctrine of the Trinity, is called (x), "Nmwa hnwma and , "the artificer of faith", and "the author or parent of faith", because from its power faith flows.'' Which is the "same" in all saints; the Spirit is the same in one as in another, and so is the faith which he is the author of; see Pe2 1:1. Faith is the same in all the saints that have been from the beginning of the world, under the Old and New Testament dispensations; it was the same in all the churches in the apostle's time, in Rome as at Ephesus, in Ephesus as at Rome, and in Thessalonica as at Rome and Ephesus, and so in all the other churches; though it may be, the apostle may chiefly design the sameness of faith, and of the Spirit, in him and his fellow ministers, and in these Corinthians, though death was working in the one, and life in the other; which appeared in their free and bold ministration of the word, notwithstanding all they met with on account of it, in imitation and encouraged by the example of David, according as it is written, Psa 116:10. I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak: where there is true faith, and the true Spirit of faith, there will be a speaking of, for, and in the name of Christ, as there ought to be: for as "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, so with the mouth confession is made unto salvation". This is true of believers in common, sooner or later, at one time or another; but more especially of the ministers of the word, who have a firm and well grounded belief in the doctrines of the Gospel, and person of Christ; and therefore speak freely, and without any doubt and hesitation about these things, boldly, and without the fear of men, and sincerely and faithfully, as in the sight of God: hence they make Christ the main subject of their ministry, because they believe in him, and nothing can stop their mouths from speaking of him; faith, and a spirit of faith, fit for public work and service, and give freedom and boldness in the ministration of the Gospel, and are a great support under persecution for the sake of it. (x) Sepher Jetzirah, Semit 3. p. 6.

It is one and the same Spirit who is in the prophets and in the apostles. However, the Spirit dwelt in the prophets sporadically, whereas he abides in believers forever.

Accordingly the apostle Paul says: “Since we have the same spirit, as shown in that which is written: ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe and so we speak.” Therefore, it is one and the same Spirit who is in the prophets and in the apostles. He was, however, in the former only for a while; whereas he abides in the latter forever. In other words, he is in the prophets but not to remain always in them; in the apostles, that he might abide in them forever. He has been apportioned to the former in moderation; to the latter, he has been wholly poured out. He was sparingly given to the one; upon the other, lavishly bestowed.

"But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak; that He which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also by Jesus." He has reminded us of a Psalm which abounds in heavenly wisdom, and is especially fitted to encourage in dangers. For this saying that just man uttered when he was in great dangers, and from which there was no other possibility of recovery than by the aid of God. Since then kindred circumstances are most effective in comforting, therefore he says, "having the same Spirit;" that is, 'by the same succor by which he was saved, we also are saved; by the Spirit through which he spake, we also speak.' Whence he shows, that between the New and Old Covenants great harmony exists, and that the same Spirit wrought in either; and that not we alone are in dangers, but all those of old were so too; and that we must find a remedy through faith and hope, and not seek at once to be released from what is laid upon us. For having showed by arguments the resurrection and the life, and that the danger was not a mark of helplessness or destitution; he thenceforward brings in faith also, and to it commits the whole. But still of this also, he furnishes a proof, the resurrection, namely, of Christ, saying, "we also believe, and therefore also we speak." What do we believe? tell me.

Moreover, our Mediator, when revealed to us, wished the sacrament of our regeneration to be manifest. But for the just men of old it was something hidden, although they also were to be saved by the same faith which was to be revealed in its own time. For we do not dare to prefer the faithful of our own time to the friends of God by whom those prophecies were to be made, since God so announced himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, as to give himself that name forever. If the belief is correct that circumcision served instead of baptism in the saints of old, what shall be said of those who pleased God before this was commanded, except that they pleased him by faith, because, as it is written in Hebrews: “Without faith it is impossible to please God”? “But having the same spirit of faith,” says the apostle, “as it is written: I believed, for which cause I have spoken, we also believe, for which reason we also speak.” He would not have said “the same” unless this very spirit of faith was also theirs. For, just as they, when this same mystery was hidden, believed in the incarnation of Christ which was to come, so we also believe that it has come.

Those just men also were saved by their salutary faith in him as man and God. They, before he came in the flesh, believed that he was to come in the flesh. Our faith is the same as theirs, since they believed that this would be, while we believe that it has come to pass. Hence, the apostle Paul says: “But having the same spirit of faith, as it is written: I believed for which reason I have spoken: we also believe for which reason we also speak.” If, then, those who foretold that Christ would come in the flesh had the same faith as those who have recorded his coming, these religious mysteries could vary according to the diversity of times yet all refer most harmoniously to the unity of the same faith.

Here Paul is attacking those who have believed in false apostles, who claimed that Paul was suffering because he had little faith. According to them, faith ought to guarantee that there will be no suffering at all. But Paul shows that, on the contrary, he has endured all things precisely because of his faith.

Paul the apostle says that he has the same spirit of faith which the blessed David had, which the holy Moses received, just as he himself testifies, saying, “Since then we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written: ‘I believed, therefore, I spoke.’ We too believe and therefore speak.” How did they have the one spirit of faith, if they believed differently concerning the faithful God? For the difference in belief is great if what Paul says, “There is no injustice with God,” differs from what Moses and David say, “There is no iniquity in God.” And if, as Paul says, he has the same spirit of faith which the prophets also had and yet his belief is different from their faith, let the apostle be declared a liar (God forbid), he who testifies that Christ speaks in him. “You are looking for proof of Christ speaking in me?” But since Christ has truly spoken in Paul, Paul is not a liar. And when he says that he has the same spirit of faith, he does not lie; the belief of each is in agreement so that what Moses and David have said.… This is also what Paul says.

Above he mentioned trials and death, then said that Jesus delivered us from them as well, and gave the reason that He delivered us precisely in order to assure us of His resurrection. Now he affirms that this must be grounded in faith, and not in reasonings alone, and says: just as David, who was in trials and was delivered from them by God alone, said, "I believed, and therefore I spoke," so we also, having the same spirit of faith that he had, believe and therefore speak, that just as Jesus rose, so we too shall overcome dangers and shall again be raised. Note that in the Old and New Testaments there is one and the same Spirit; note this against those who blaspheme the Law.

Then the Apostle shows how he acquired this hope of certainty. In regard to this he does two things. First, he states the cause of the certainty; secondly, he concludes to the certainty itself (v. 14). Now the cause of this certainty is the Spirit instilling faith into their hearts. First, therefore, he mentions this cause; secondly, he explains it with an example (v. 13b). He says therefore: the reason we hope and do not faint is that we have the same spirit of faith which the ancients had, because although the times have changed, the Spirit and the faith have not changed, except that they believed that the Christ would come and suffer, whereas we believe that he has already come and suffered. And this Spirit is the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of faith: "All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Cor. 12:11). Having, therefore, this Spirit that the ancients had, we do the same things as they did and we believe. But what they did is described in Ps. 116:10, "I have believed", namely, God perfectly. And this is what the ancients did: "And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised" (Heb. 11:39). And so, namely, for believing, I spoke, i.e., I confessed the faith: "For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved" (Rom. 10:10). But we do this because, since we believe, we speak and confess the faith and preach: "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Ac. 4:20). Therefore the Holy Spirit is the cause of this certitude.

St. Paul shows the integrity with which he had preached the Gospel of Christ, Co2 4:1, Co2 4:2. And that, if it was unprofitable to any who had heard it, it was because their unbelieving hearts were blinded, Co2 4:3, Co2 4:4. How he preached, and how he was qualified for the work, Co2 4:5-7. The troubles and difficulties he met with in his labors, and the hope and consolations by which he was supported, Co2 4:8-15. And the prospect he had of eternal blessedness, Co2 4:16-18.

We having the same spirit of faith - As David had when he wrote Psa 116:10 : I believed, therefore have I spoken: we also believe that we shall receive the fulfillment of all God's promises; and being fully convinced of the truth of the Christian religion, we speak and testify that our deliverance is from God; and that he does not fail those who trust in him, and that he saves to the uttermost them who come unto him through Christ Jesus.

HIS PREACHING IS OPEN AND SINCERE, THOUGH TO MANY THE GOSPEL IS HIDDEN. (2Co. 4:1-18) Therefore--Greek, "For this cause": Because we have the liberty-giving Spirit of the Lord, and with unveiled face behold His glory (Co2 3:17-18). seeing we have this ministry--"The ministration of the Spirit" (Co2 3:8-9): the ministry of such a spiritual, liberty-giving Gospel: resuming Co2 3:6, Co2 3:8. received mercy--from God, in having had this ministry conferred on us (Co2 3:5). The sense of "mercy" received from God, makes men active for God (Ti1 1:11-13). we faint not--in boldness of speech and action, and patience in suffering (Co2 4:2, Co2 4:8-16, &c.).

Translate as Greek, "BUT having," &c., that is, not withstanding the trials just mentioned, we having, &c. the same spirit of faith, according as it, &c.--Compare Rom 8:15, on the usage of "spirit of faith." The Holy Spirit acting on our spirit. Though "death worketh in us, and life in you" (Co2 4:12), yet as we have the same spirit of faith as you, we therefore [believingly] look for the same immortal life as you [ESTIUS], and speak as we believe. ALFORD not so well translates, "The same . . . faith with that described in the Scriptures" (Psa 116:10). The balance of the sentence requires the parallelism to be this, "According to that which is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak," namely, without fear, amidst "afflictions" and "deaths" (Co2 4:17).