God Shines the Light

When you set out to shine the light of the gospel into the world, you will experience adversity. Sometimes this adversity takes intense forms, as the apostle Paul himself experienced firsthand. Having gone through this experience, he provides you with a helpful perspective for learning how to respond to this adversity the right way (2 Cor 4:1). First, he challenges you to continue presenting the gospel in a transparent, honest, and truthful way, while refusing to adopt clever methods that attempt to remove the offense of the gospel (2 Cor 4:2). Second, he reminds you that the reason why people reject a clear and compassionate gospel appeal is not the result of ineffective communication skills. Instead, it is because nonbelievers are blind to the gospel (2 Cor 4:3-4). In fact, the more clearly you present the gospel, the more likely they will resist you and misunderstand. Nevertheless, this is the only way to go forward, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ accurately and clearly, depending on God to overcome blindness with light.

Give the Right Message

Paul reminds us of the dangerous but alluring temptation to "preach ourselves" (2 Cor 4:5). You do this when you:

• Use the gospel to gain a following for yourself
• Evangelize people to outdo another church or believer
• Attempt to impress people with your knowledge of gospel themes and verses of Scripture
• Preach the gospel in a way that accentuates your preferred emphases to the exclusion of other necessary elements
• Present the gospel in order to show off your speaking and relationship skills

Paul resisted such approaches to gospel ministry and insisted on preaching the full truth about Christ Jesus the Lord. He explained the truth about Christ as the one whom the Old Testament Scriptures prophesied would come from God. He explained the truth about Jesus as the one who would save us from our sins. He explained the truth about Jesus as the one and only God and Lord whom we must follow. He preached the complete and exclusive gospel message as revealed in Scripture and did not do so for personal reasons of any kind.He also preached "ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake." What does this teach us? It teaches that by believing that Jesus was his Lord and master, he also believed that he (meaning Paul) was not a lord or master, too. When you preach the gospel and people believe on Jesus as a result, you can easily develop an "I'm in charge" attitude, the attitude of a master. But Paul recognized that preaching the gospel places you in the position of a servant, not a lord. It also teaches that preaching Jesus requires more than speaking the gospel through your words; it requires speaking the gospel through your actions. When you preach the gospel, you need to demonstrate the same servant mindset that Jesus demonstrated in coming to this earth to deliver you from sin.

Trust God with the Results

You can preach the gospel (without alterations and innovations) and you can do so from the humble position of a servant because God alone is the one who overcomes spiritual blindness (2 Cor 4:6). Paul uses fascinating language here that should remind you of at least three important things in Scripture.First, it should remind you of God's original work of creation, when he spoke all things into existence and commanded the light to shine in the darkness (Gen 1:3-4ff). Darkness could do nothing to change itself. Light shined into the darkness because God, by his creative powers, made the light and commanded it to shine. The raw, sovereign, creative power of God is what makes the gospel effective. When you set out to shine the light of the gospel into the world, you should do so with a commitment to accuracy and honesty, relying on the almighty power of God to do the rest.Second, it should remind you of the way that the Old Testament prophet Isaiah referred to the future ministry of the Jesus the Messiah, especially in connection with the way that the gospel would shine not only to the Jews, but also to all the other nations of the world.

• "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined" (Isa 9:1).
• "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house" (Isa 42:6-7).
• "I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them" (Isa 42:16).
• "Indeed he says, ‘It is too small a thing that you should be my Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be my salvation to the ends of the earth'" (Isa 49:6).

Third, this should remind you of Paul's own salvation testimony (Acts 9:1-9; 22:3-11; 26:9-18). Luke provides this testimony three times in Acts, and each time themes of blindness and light appear distinctly. When Paul gives his testimony, he portrays himself as someone with a thorough knowledge of Old Testament Scripture and a sincere devotion to practicing Old Testament law, yet he continued to walk in spiritual darkness. He also tells us that at his conversion, he encountered a brilliant light shining down on him from God. Paul did not believe the gospel because someone used clever methods to persuade him. He believed the gospel because God shined the light into his heart in a spiritual way, just as he commanded the light to shine into the darkness at the beginning of time in a physical and material way.When a person believes the gospel, they do so because God shines the light of the gospel into their hearts and minds in a powerful and convincing way. Conversion is God's work, while preaching the gospel is yours. Knowing this, you should not lose heart in your evangelism efforts (2 Cor 4:1). Rely on the all-powerful Creator God to shine the light of the gospel through the message that you speak and the life that you live to match that message.