Paul and his co-workers were also mirrors beholding and reflecting with an unveiled face the glory of Christ in order to be transformed into His glorious image (2 Cor. 3:18). Man was made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), and Colossians 1:15 says that Christ is the image of the invisible God. The glorious image unveiled in 2 Corinthians 3 is the divine image in Genesis 1:26. However, at the time of Genesis 1:26, Christ did not have the elements of incarnation, humanity. His all-inclusive, wonderful death, and the wonderful resurrection. These elements have now been added to Christ by the process through which the Triune God has passed. Now the image of God is not only the image of divinity, but the image of divinity mingled with humanity and constituted with the all-inclusive death and the wonderful resurrection.
The apostles were also earthen vessels to contain the Christ of glory as the excellent treasure (2 Cor. 4:7). Verse 7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” The earthen vessels are worthless and fragile, but a priceless treasure is contained in the worthless vessels. This treasure enters into the vessels by God’s shining. When God shines, the treasure is infused into the earthen vessels. The content of this treasure is divinity mingled with humanity, constituted with His wonderful, all-inclusive death and resurrection. We need to enjoy the constituents of this treasure. We should enjoy divinity, humanity, and even death. There are two kinds of death in the universe. One is the death of Adam, and the other is the death of Christ. We hate the death of Adam, but we love the wonderful, marvelous, all-inclusive death of Christ.
The excellent power of the treasure is manifested in the earthen vessels. Verse 8 says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not straitened; perplexed, but not despairing.” Being afflicted in every way indicates affliction in every kind of suffering, but it is not merely suffering. Being afflicted in every way indicates the all-inclusive death of Christ, but not being straitened is resurrection. Likewise, being perplexed indicates death, but not despairing is resurrection. Verse 9 says, “Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” Being persecuted and cast down again indicate death, but not being forsaken and not being destroyed refer to resurrection.
Verses 10-12 say, “Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be manifested in our body. For we who live are always being delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death operates in us, but life in you.” The death for Jesus’ sake is the glorious, wonderful, loveable death of Christ. The life of Jesus is resurrection.
Earthen vessels containing a treasure is the last metaphor used to describe the ministers of the new covenant and their ministry. This portion of the Word leads us into the real experience of Christ’s death and resurrection. We are the earthen vessels, yet we have a treasure in us. This demonstrates the excellence of the power of the treasure in death and resurrection. Christ’s power is not only manifested in resurrection but also in death. The four Gospels show us how Christ passed through a long journey of death, but He was not put down by death; the many aspects of death could not restrain Him. He had the power to overcome death. In death the power of Christ was greatly manifested. In His resurrection His power was also manifested. There was no way to subdue Paul because as an earthen vessel he had Christ as the treasure within him. In this way, the excellent power of the treasure was manifested. This was not of man but of God.
Verse 16 says, “Wherefore we do not lose heart, but if indeed our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is being renewed day by day.” Decay indicates death, but renewal is resurrection. Our afflictions may cause us to lose heart, but we have to thank and worship the Lord for our afflictions. The Lord allows us to pass through afflictions so that our inward man may be renewed day by day.
We are all the captives of Christ. Therefore, we are Christ’s incense-bearers, scattering, dispensing, the fragrance of Christ to others. We are also letters of Christ written by the Spirit, not to display ourselves, but to display ourselves with Christ. In this sense, “Christ” should be a part of our name. We are also mirrors, and we are vessels to contain Christ as the treasure, that day after day we may express the all-inclusive death of Christ and the resurrection power. How much of this treasure we have in us is indicated by how much we express Christ in His all-inclusive death and resurrection.
Question: Being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down and the decaying of our outward man are all aspects of the death in Adam. However, 2 Corinthians 4:10 speaks of “always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus.” Are there two different kinds of death, or are these the same death?
Answer: The death that takes place in Adam is ugly, but the same death, when it takes place in Christ, is lovely. Adam died, and Christ also died. However, with one the death was ugly, but with the other the death was lovely. With unbelievers, no affliction is good, but with us, the believers, all afflictions are very good. If persecution befalls us, it is wonderful, but if it befalls an unbelieving relative, it is terrible. All the negative items in verses 8 through 12 are different aspects of the death of Christ. We may call them sufferings, but according to Philippians 3:10, sufferings are a part of Christ’s death. Philippians 3:10 says, “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” The fellowship, the participation, of His sufferings is the participation in His death. To participate in His death is to be conformed to His death. Every day we are afflicted, perplexed, cast down, and persecuted, and our outward man is decaying, being consumed. These are different aspects of Christ’s death. When we are suffering these things, Christ’s death is being applied to us. Through this death the life of Christ is manifested.
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