What the Jars of Clay Are and Are Not

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2Cor.4:6). I do not know of any more glorious description of our conversion to Christ than this verse! In the beginning, God did a creative miracle so that the earth would be lighted. Before there were sun, moon and stars, that is, before there was a physical source for the light, God called light into existence by the power of His word! Now Paul teaches that our hearts coming alive with faith towards Jesus–a perception of His glory and a love for that glory–involved exactly this same sort of miracle. God did not foster a faint faith. We had not faith! Not until God spoke it into existence! What a treasure…

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2Cor.4:7). At this point, it is tempting to cause this passage to say something that it actually does not say. Namely, to identify the wrong sort of weakness as that which demonstrates that the glorious treasure of our faith in Christ as moral weakness. You can tell that God’s gospel is alive in my heart because I still live like a wretch. But does moral compromise make God look great in our lives? Isn’t compromise actually a force which calls the reality of the gospel into question in public? If this is so, what kind of fragility is Paul talking about that certifies that the glory is not from us, but from Him?

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus might also be manifested in our bodies” (2Cor.4:8-10). These are not moral failures! These are the consequences of standing with Jesus and receiving a portion of the opposition that He endured in His own day and in His own body. Opposition from the world is guaranteed, provided we stand boldly with Jesus. Affliction is to be expected (and this shows that we are frail, but not morally compromised). Being perplexed is to be expected (who among us has perfect insight into the word of God and our place in His current plan?). Violent opposition is to be expected (think about our family in Nigeria right now and ready your heart to be numbered with them). Resurrection power is for those who have not shrunk back from being united with Jesus in His death. Yes, this manifests our weakness–but it also manifests His power! Refuse to come into agreement with moral compromise (it does not make Him look good). But expect your frail mortality to be a vehicle for His great glory to shine through as you encounter opposition from the same world that opposed Jesus!