2 Corinthians 4:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

NIV: persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

NASB: persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed;

CSB: we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

NLT: We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

KJV: Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

NKJV: persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

This passage describes exactly how fragile Paul and his co-workers really are. They carry the most valuable treasure in the universe: the knowledge of access to God's glory through faith in Christ. And yet, they carry it in the fragile containers of their own lives. This is not an accident, by any means. This is a deliberate choice by God to prove the inherent power of the truth.

God allows them to suffer along the way, but he keeps them from ever fully being destroyed. Now Paul adds that he and his co-workers are persecuted. In other words, they are targeted by the enemies of Christ to be mistreated. This has included the Jewish religious leaders, pagan mobs, and Roman authorities. However, Paul insists, that even in their most severe persecution, God has never forsaken them. God has always been with them through the worst, keeping them from being crushed or totally despairing.

Paul adds that they have even been struck down under persecution. Paul had on at least one occasion been left for dead. He escaped, though (Acts 14:19–20). God had not yet allowed this servant of His to be destroyed; his work was not done. So Paul continues the mission to carry the treasure of the gospel to all who will receive it, as the following verses make clear.

Second Corinthians 4:7–18 explains that the priceless treasure of knowing God's glory through faith in Christ is kept in the fragile containers of human beings. In this case, this refers to Paul and his co-workers who preach the gospel. Their suffering is enormous, but God keeps them from being wiped out. They don't quit because even after they die, they know they will be resurrected, as Christ was. Then they will spend eternity with Him in a glory that will far outweigh and outlast the comparatively lightweight and momentary suffering of this life.

Paul insists that he and his co-workers for Christ would never act in a way that is disgraceful or dishonest, though he knows some are blinded by Satan from believing their message about Jesus. They cannot see the light of knowing Christ as God. That knowledge is a priceless treasure stored in the fragile containers of Paul and his friends. No matter how difficult their suffering in this work, Paul refuses to quit. He is confident that he will be resurrected after his death and then all his pain on this side of eternity won't even be worth comparing with the glory there.

Second Corinthians 4 follows Paul's teaching in the previous chapter about the transformation that happens for those who see God's glory in Christ. Some are blinded to it by sin and by the god of this world. Paul knows that he and his co-workers are fragile containers for the priceless message of God's grace through faith in Jesus. They won't quit, though, because God sustains them and will eventually resurrect them. Once in eternity, all the suffering in this life won't be worth comparing with sharing God's glory forever. Chapter 5 expands on the idea that believers in Christ look forward to something much better than this life.

Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.