The Chicken or the Egg - 2/11/2018

WARNING PREACHY…

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

When I first read this passage I felt confused because God seems to veil the gospel message from those who are perishing: the very Truth that is necessary for salvation from eternal death is made cloaked by God Himself!  At least, that’s how it appears.  However, when this passage is read in context of the entire 2 Corinthians letter and with knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures, the verse isn’t really confusing.

2 Corinthians 3:7-8

⁷ Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, ⁸ will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

The context is about the Glory of God as displayed through Jesus Christ.  The cross is brought into focus here because Paul, in 2 Corinthians, is showing how God’s glory was veiled in the stone tablets of the Law and how Moses has to veil his face because the glory of God was upon him because the Law of God came though Moses.  But the Law was a fading glory of God where the reality and fulfillment was through Jesus Christ and His Cross.  The reality is that though the finished work of Jesus upon the cross and His resurrection from the dead that you and I have forgiveness from sin and death and are given new life in Him i.e. the veiled gospel message.

Here’s the rub, if the gospel message is confusing to you then you need to believe first (see 4:4) and trust on the Lord Jesus Christ before the veil can be removed, when you do you will see the Glory of God through Jesus our Savior and the Gospel of will become clear. 

Seriously, if there is a veil surrounding the Gospel of Jesus for you then there is a problem and we need to talk.  Send me a message and I’ll be happy to spend as much time as it takes for the veil to be removed from before you.