The Light of the Gospel

¹Therefore, having xthis ministry yby the mercy of God,1 we do not lose heart. ²But we have renounced zdisgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice2 cunning or ato tamper with God's word, but bby the open statement of the truth cwe would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. ³And even dif our gospel is veiled, eit is veiled to fthose who are perishing. ⁴In their case gthe god of this world dhas blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing hthe light of ithe gospel of the glory of Christ, jwho is the image of God. ⁵For what kwe proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with lourselves as your servants3 for Jesus' sake. ⁶For God, who said, m“Let light shine out of darkness,” nhas shone in our hearts to give othe light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Treasure in Jars of Clay

⁷But we have this treasure in pjars of clay, qto show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are rafflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but snot forsaken; tstruck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ualways carrying in the body the death of Jesus, vso that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹²So wdeath is at work in us, but life in you.

¹³Since we have xthe same spirit of faith according to what has been written, y“I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, ¹⁴knowing that zhe who raised the Lord Jesus awill raise us also with Jesus and bbring us with you into his presence. ¹⁵For cit is all for your sake, so that as dgrace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, eto the glory of God.

¹⁶So we do not lose heart. fThough our outer self4 is wasting away, gour inner self his being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For ithis light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸jas we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.