We are hard-pressed
on every side,
yet not crushed; we
are perplexed,
but not in despair;
persecuted,
but not forsaken;
struck down,
but not destroyed --
always carrying
about in the body
the dying
of the Lord Jesus,
that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested
in our body.
2 Corinthians 4: 8 --
10
We must not
forget history so that we can understand the words of Paul in context. Claudius, otherwise known as Tiberius
Claudius Nero Germanicus, (41 -- 54) and then followed by the infamous Nero (54
-- 68) the question of deification had created a serious crisis in the East
among the Jews a question that began (37 -- 41) with Caligula and particularly
at Alexandria in (38) where there came to be a large-scale violent fighting by
the Jews against the Greek majority, the Grecian inhabitants of the inhabitants
who rejected the Jews claim to a full citizenship of the city whereby there was
a forced entry into synagogues and set up of statues of the Emperor. Localized
persecution extended from the Jews to the Christians who all lower once
considered just a sect of the Jews had now become a sect all of their own and
in opposition to the Emperor and emperor worship. Nero as reported by Tacitus describes how Nero began to appear
before a Roman spectators. And due to
this testimony tacitus went on to describe how the Emperor instituted Youth Games that was
attended by every sort of immorality in which he himself performed. These aberrations while not affecting the
sound government of the Empire as a whole fed violence among Christians who
would not submit to emperor worship.
Rome was taken a turn for the worse and we all know about this crucial
event called the Great Fire (64).
Nero tried to pin the blame upon the city's small Christian community
who were regarded as a dissident group of Jews and burned many of them
alive, it was at this time the history of speech of the martyrdom of St. Peter
and St. Paul. Paul faced death
wherever he went he had to undergo trials and persecutions and this would be
true of Christians who were trying to perform their Christian faith in the face
of opposition that was often violent.
So, when Paul said that they were hard-pressed, and all those who
traveled with him did not become crushed due to the opposition and persecution.
Yes, Paul was perplexed: under any
trial and persecution that you may undergo may also perplexed you, but as Paul
said he was not forsaken. Even though
been struck down, he was not destroyed.
Can this be said of you? Paul
was persecuted but he knew that he was never forsaken, and this very fact is
also true for you when you are persecuted.
That which gave Paul peace and a was the fact that Jesus Christ held a
priority for his life, not just Jesus Christ but the dying Jesus Christ upon a
cross and that the life of Jesus was manifested in his life. Is this true of you are you finding peace in
all things seem to be going against you is Jesus Christ being carried about by
you in your life? Let's face this fact:
we all are going to die; it is not whether or not, it is when and
how. We are often uncertain what will
occur or happen to us, what will become of us, but we do not despair even in
the face of the greatest perplexity these knowing that God is able to support
and to deliver, and in Him we always place our trust and hope. Our enemy, Satan and his hordes and what they throw
against is a great measure of prevail and when this occurs so often our spirits
began to falter and fail, even with all this we are not destroyed. We have the support of God for He has given His Holy Spirit to all of His children. Now here is the question for us: "For we who live are always delivered
to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
mortal flesh. So in death is working in
us, but life in you; (2 Corinthians 4: 11 -- 12): is this true of you that you are living even if you are delivered unto
death for Jesus sake and is Jesus being manifested in your flesh? Whatever the burdensome troubles for all
Christian believers may be, they have no reason, we have no reason, to
faint. This will require faith that is
the operation of the Holy Spirit, it is the same Spirit that the saints of old
believed and suffer such great things and were able to do it because of their faith
and God. This grace and faith is an
effectual anecdote against a poisonous things being thrown at Christians those
things that are troubled times. The
question again for us is will we allow this faith in the Holy Spirit to give us
a to bear up under any of the infirmities and persecution, trials, that may
come your way? How is it possible? The same as it was for Paul: "And
since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I
believed and therefore I spoke (Psalm 11 6:10; 2 Peter 1: 1) we believe also am
therefore we speak, knowing that He will also raise us up with Jesus, and will
present this with you. For all things
are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, many cause
thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4: 13 -- 15). This may seem hard but the sufferings of
Christians and the preaching of God's Word come our conversations come are
intended for the good of God's people and the glory of God. If we are not in this category then we are
bringing upon God disdain. Therefore,
make it your duty, your priority, for your life to do it exactly that: be a
manifestation of Jesus Christ on earth.
Before I add a
closing verse, I had to leave to do work that I did not expect to take all day
today therefore this blog took a little longer and I missed one day but it is
now you are free to read into peruse and consider and to look at God's Word for
the truth that I have attempted to give to you.
The fruit of the
righteous
is a tree of life.
And he who wins
souls
is wise.
Proverbs 11: 30
God is not hidden
from you
Richard L. Crumb
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