The Unveiled Face of Glory Text: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Introduction: The Collision of Two Worlds
We live in an age of marketing. Everything is about branding, image, and presentation. The church, in her folly, has often tried to adopt these methods as though the gospel were a product to be sold, like soap or a new soft drink. We are told to find the felt needs of the consumer, to sand off the rough edges of the message, to make it palatable, attractive, and non-threatening. The goal is to be clever, winsome, and crafty. But the Apostle Paul tells us that this entire approach is not just ineffective; it is a shameful betrayal of the ministry we have been given.
In this passage, Paul describes the fundamental conflict at the heart of Christian ministry. It is a collision of two worlds, two kingdoms, two sources of light. On the one hand, you have the glorious, undiluted, and powerful light of the gospel. On the other, you have a world of perishing men and women whose minds have been deliberately blinded by a malevolent intelligence, the god of this age. The task of the minister is not to negotiate a truce between these two kingdoms. It is not to dim the light to make it more comfortable for those who love the darkness. The task is to pull the veil away, to manifest the truth plainly, and to let the light do its own devastating and glorious work.
This is a passage about spiritual warfare, and the central battlefield is the human mind. The weapon of the enemy is blindness. The weapon of the church is the plain manifestation of the truth. And the decisive, conquering power belongs to God alone, who performs the same miracle in the hearts of sinners that He did on the first day of creation.
The Text
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 4:1-6 LSB)
Ministry Born of Mercy (v. 1)
Paul begins by grounding the nature of his ministry, and by extension all true ministry, in two realities: its glorious nature and the mercy by which it is held.
"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart," (2 Corinthians 4:1 LSB)
The "therefore" points us back to the glory of the New Covenant described in chapter 3. This is not just any ministry; it is the ministry of the Spirit, a ministry of righteousness, a ministry of unveiled glory that far surpasses the fading glory of the Old Covenant. Because we are stewards of something so weighty and glorious, we do not give up. But there is a crucial qualifier: "as we received mercy."
Ministry is not a career we have earned. It is not a position achieved through merit. It is a gift received by pure, unadulterated mercy. The one who thinks he is qualified for the ministry is the one who is most profoundly disqualified. It is the man who knows he is a sinner saved by grace, a brand plucked from the burning, who is fit to handle these holy things. This understanding is what keeps a man from losing heart. When opposition comes, when results are few, when the world scoffs, he does not look to his own strength or success. He looks to the mercy that called him and the glory of the message he carries. Despair is the fruit of pride and self-reliance. Courage is the fruit of mercy.
The Character of Honest Proclamation (v. 2)
Because the ministry is a gift of mercy, it must be conducted with absolute integrity. Paul lays out a series of renunciations and a central positive method.
"but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God." (2 Corinthians 4:2 LSB)
True ministry is lived in the open. Paul says we have "renounced the hidden things of shame." There are no secret methods, no back-room deals, no skeletons in the closet. The life of the messenger must be consistent with the message of light. He then specifies two temptations. First, "craftiness." This is the use of clever, manipulative tricks to get a desired result. It is treating evangelism like a sales pitch. Second, "adulterating the word of God." This is tampering with the message, watering it down, mixing it with worldly philosophy to make it more acceptable to the unbelieving mind. It is to offer a Christ without a cross, a crown without a cost, a salvation without repentance.
Paul's method is the polar opposite. It is simply "the manifestation of truth." Our job is to make the truth manifest, to unveil it, to declare it plainly and openly. And where do we aim this truth? Not at the fickle emotions, but at "every man's conscience." God has built a witness to Himself into the fabric of every human being, and the plain declaration of the truth awakens that conscience, either to repentance or to greater rebellion. This whole enterprise is conducted "in the sight of God." He is our audience. We are not trying to please men, but the God who tests our hearts.
The Veil of Unbelief (v. 3-4)
But this raises a question. If the truth is declared so plainly, why do so few believe? Paul answers that the problem is not with the gospel, but with the audience.
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4 LSB)
The gospel itself is not obscure. The veil is on the hearts of "those who are perishing." This is their present state; they are actively in the process of coming undone. And Paul identifies the agent behind this spiritual blindness. It is "the god of this age." Satan is a real, personal, and intelligent enemy. He holds a usurped authority in this fallen world system, and his primary strategy is not to build dark, satanic mills, but to control the intellectual and cultural atmosphere. He works on the "minds" of the unbelieving.
What is his specific objective? It is to prevent them from seeing one thing: "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." Notice the layers. The gospel is a gospel of glory, and that glory is the glory of Christ, and Christ is the very "image of God." To see Christ is to see God. Satan's entire enterprise is dedicated to obscuring this vision. He will offer a thousand other images, a thousand other glories, a thousand other gospels, all to prevent the world from seeing the blazing truth of who God is, as revealed in the face of His Son.
The Centrality of Christ (v. 5)
The only answer to this satanic blindness is a message that is relentlessly focused on the one thing Satan wants to hide.
"For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus." (2 Corinthians 4:5 LSB)
Here is the apostolic corrective to all man-centered, therapeutic, self-help preaching. "We do not preach ourselves." The preacher is not the hero of the story. His opinions, his anecdotes, his charisma, these are all rubbish. The subject of all true preaching is singular: "Jesus Christ as Lord." We proclaim His person (Jesus), His office (Christ), and His absolute, cosmic authority (Lord). This is the kerygma, the central proclamation. It is a declaration of war against the god of this age.
And what is the posture of the preacher? "Ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus." The one who proclaims a King must live as a servant. We do not lord it over the flock. We are their bond-slaves, serving them for the glory of the Master we both serve. The authority is in the message, not the messenger. The posture of the messenger is one of humility and service.
The Sovereign Light of New Creation (v. 6)
If men are blinded by Satan, and our only tool is the plain preaching of the truth, how can anyone ever be saved? Paul concludes with the ultimate answer: a sovereign act of God.
"For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6 LSB)
Paul reaches all the way back to Genesis 1:3. The same God who spoke the physical universe into existence with the command, "Let there be light," is the one who performs a miracle of new creation in the soul of a sinner. The conversion of a sinner is not a matter of man's free will choosing to believe. It is a divine, creative fiat. The human heart is not just neutral; it is dark, formless, and void. It is tohu wa-bohu.
Into that darkness, God speaks. He "has shone in our hearts." This is not a cooperative venture. This is a unilateral invasion of grace. The light creates the sight. And what does this light reveal? It is "the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God." And where is this glory to be found? It is located with geographic precision "in the face of Christ." All the majesty, holiness, wrath, and love of the invisible God are made visible and comprehensible in the person and work of Jesus Christ. To see Him is to see God. This is the miracle of regeneration. It is God Himself opening our blind eyes to see what has been true all along: that Jesus Christ is Lord, and in His face, the glory of God shines.
Conclusion
This passage gives us our marching orders. We are not to be discouraged by the darkness of the age or the blindness of men. We are not to resort to the world's shameful and crafty methods. Our task is simple. We are to hold up the person of Jesus Christ, plainly, boldly, and without adulteration. We are to proclaim "Jesus Christ as Lord."
We do this knowing that the battle is the Lord's. We are simply the heralds. We manifest the truth to the conscience, and we trust that the same God who commanded light to shine out of the primordial darkness will, in His sovereign mercy, perform that miracle again and again. He will shine His light into darkened hearts, dispelling the blindness of the enemy, and giving them the greatest gift of all: the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.