Scripture
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Consider
The “outward” and “inward” selves that Paul describes are not our body and our spirit, as one might suppose. Rather, Paul is contrasting the two ages in which every Christian lives.
Our outward-self lives in the present age, where evil and death and disease are powerful forces. This age reflects the fallen state of humanity, inherited from Adam, but will pass away when God establishes his kingdom on earth once and for all time.
Our inward-self lives in that new age already inaugurated by Christ. Here hope reigns along with the assurance of our inheritance as God’s chosen people and the prospect of spending eternity in the glorious presence of our Creator.
Christians live in the tension between these two ages—the present age that is seen and touched, and the “already-but-not-yet” future age that remains unseen but for the faith that God gives us. Paul seeks to encourage believers not to lose heart when troubles of the present age loosen our grasp of the eternal. If we “fix our eyes on what is not seen,” God uses our suffering to grow us in holiness and likeness to Christ.
To fix our eyes on what is not seen means choosing to apply God’s eternal perspective to our circumstances. This is not easy! Our troubles may seem far from “light and momentary.” We may, in fact, have lived a long time in a difficult or abusive relationship. Or perhaps we continue to suffer physical or emotional fallout from some cruelty that was perpetrated against us. We may be tormented with disease, with the loss of a loved one, or with financial distress. Paul would tell us that our despair comes from reasoning according to the laws and experiences of this mortal age. All hope and comfort, he says, wait for us in the immortal age of Christ’s reign.
Moreover, these present troubles refine and prepare us for “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” This means that as God works through our troubles to purify our hearts and deepen our faith, we come to resemble Jesus more and more. The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as the outshining of God’s glory:
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (1:3).”
We, too, are the outshining of God’s glory! Christ recaptures for us the glory that Adam lost through the fall. We are meant to be splendid and beautiful creatures, radiant reflections of the divine, made in our Creator’s image. This is what God sees when he looks at our inward-self—the glory of Christ taking form in us as we persevere, shaping and maturing us toward his full likeness.
Pray
FATHER, I confess that I often feel snared by the forces of the present age. Troubles loom, and I scramble to find solutions that make sense in this world but have no eternal value. Help me to live hopefully and joyfully in the tension between the two ages that Paul describes. Give me faith to see what is hidden from mortal eyes, so that I may find peace in the midst of my troubles and courage to persevere.
Reflect
Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 3:1-4
Ponder
Which of your troubles feels the least “light and temporary”? How might God’s eternal perspective shift your perception?
