2 Corinthians 4-6

Contemporary English Version

Treasure in Clay Jars

4 God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. This is why we never give up. ² We don't do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don't try to fool anyone or twist God's message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure we can be trusted. ³ If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.

⁴ The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like. ⁵ We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. ^6 (A) The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

⁷ We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. ⁸ We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. ⁹ In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. ^10-11 We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so his life can also be seen in us. ¹² This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.

¹³ In the Scriptures it says, “I spoke because I had faith.” We have this same kind of faith. So we speak ¹⁴ because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together with you. ¹⁵ All of this has been done for you, so more and more people will know how kind God is and will praise and honor him.

Faith in the Lord

¹⁶ We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. ¹⁷ These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. ¹⁸ Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.

5 ^(B) Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. ² While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. ³ We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.

⁴ These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don't do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die. ⁵ God is the one who makes all this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain he will do it. ⁶ So always be cheerful!

As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord. ⁷ But we live by faith, not by what we see. ⁸ We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord. ⁹ But whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him. ^10 (C) After all, Christ will judge each of us for the good or the bad that we do while living in these bodies.

Bringing People to God

¹¹ We know what it means to respect the Lord, and we encourage everyone to turn to him. God himself knows what we are like, and I hope you also know what kind of people we are. ¹² We are not trying once more to brag about ourselves. But we want you to be proud of us, when you are with those who are not sincere and brag about what others think of them.

¹³ If we seem out of our minds, it is between God and us. But if we are in our right minds, it is for your good. ¹⁴ We are ruled by Christ's love for us. We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. ¹⁵ And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us.

¹⁶ We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in this way. ¹⁷ Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. ¹⁸ God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

¹⁹ What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. ²⁰ We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. ²¹ Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so Christ could make us acceptable to God.

6 We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God's gift of undeserved grace. ^2 (D) In the Scriptures God says,