2 costly Commitments

 Read 2 Corinthians 4.

The Apostle Paul represented Jesus Christ with everything he had.  Living for Jesus and seeking to make Him known carries with it the urgency of life and death.  No one enjoys rejection.  But we also are aware that not everyone will understand and appreciate God's good news.  It is difficult not to take personally such negative responses. 

In contrast to the false teachers, Paul made two unchanging commitments.
"We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways."
The false teachers crept in seeking influence and personal profit while pretending to represent the Lord.  Peddlers, Paul called them (2:17).  Genuine ministry is straightforward and transparent, with sincere concern for the eternal salvation of others.

"We refuse to practice cunning or tamper with God's word."
One mark of a false teacher is their attempt to explain away the plain truth of the Bible.  They will treat God's word as myths and folklore.  They will dismiss passages they do not like and blame it on the human author.  They will intentionally skip portions of the Bible.  They will want to change the Scriptures and update their teaching to fit modern cultural trends.  They will want churches to be accepting of sin, instead of helping the sinner experience life change.  Instead of teaching the truth, they will want to give them permission to violate God's word.  Not Paul, not any other true believer!  The word of God is not to be tampered with.  It is to be proclaimed.

These commitments cost him dearly.
Notice the list of things Paul endured in verses 8-9. 
1. We are afflicted.  He was often put in a tight spot spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and relationally for his faith in Jesus.
2. We are perplexed.  He faced situations when there seemed to be no way out.
3. We are persecuted.  He had rejecters who pursued him in order to chase him out of their city.
4. We are struck down.  He physically suffered many times, including being stoned on one occasion and left for dead.
Notice also how he handled each of them.
Meanwhile, so many are fearful of just talking about their faith with the friendly next door neighbor.

Why is it that not everyone sees the truth of God's word and embraces Jesus as their Savior?
In verses 3-4, we are given the explanation.  We are not naturally the children of God.  There exists a spiritual "veil" that prevents a person from seeing the truth.  "The god of this world", Satan himself, "has blinded the minds of the unbelievers."  They either refuse to read the Bible for themselves or they look at a verse and it does not make sense to them.  Therefore, without Christ, people will pursue their own self-interests and even self-destructive behaviors.  But when a person becomes willing to know the truth, the Holy Spirit removes that veil of spiritual darkness and the light shines in their hearts.  Then, God's word begins to make sense.