Some Things You Should Know About Earthen Vessels
While he was rejected from the local synagogue relatively early in his time there, the apostle Paul was able to spend one and a half years in the city of Corinth before any major trouble arose (Acts 18:11-13). Even then, the local government surprisingly sided with him rather than his persecutors (Acts 18:14-17), and he was able to stay there “a good while” longer (Acts 18:18). This must have been such an encouragement to Paul after he was driven from Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:5-10, 13-14) and was largely met with only passing interest and scorn in Athens (Acts 17:32). While we don’t have a tearful goodbye recorded for Corinth like we do for Ephesus (Acts 20:36-38), Paul left Corinth on good terms with every intention of returning (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:15-16).
After Paul left, things changed. A church which had learned the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) became more focused on preachers than on the message they preached (1 Corinthians 1:12). This led to a division in the congregation that was obvious even in the worship assembly (1 Corinthians 11:17-18). Spiritual gifts provided by the Holy Spirit “for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) were being used selfishly (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:15-17) and, to visitors and onlookers at least, confusingly, in contrast with the God who gave them (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:23, 33). Blatant public sin was tolerated (1 Corinthians 5:1-2), and some even began to doubt the fundamentals of the Gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:12). After Paul exchanged letters with the church (1 Corinthians 5:9; 7:1) and received a really troubling report about the division there from the household of Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit” and to Paul to write the inspired letter we now know as 1 Corinthians (cf. Acts 15:28; 1 Corinthians 7:40; 14:37).
Judging from the second letter the Holy Spirit led Paul to send to Corinth, 2 Corinthians, Paul’s first inspired epistle had an impact. Some of the truths communicated in it were received, as the church zealously tried to clear its name. The church came to regret the way it had handled the brother living in open sin, “him who had done the wrong” (2 Corinthians 7:8-11), and evidently exercised the discipline Paul encouraged (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). In fact, they had actually gone too far and now needed to be encouraged to forgive their now penitent brother (2 Corinthians 2:5-11). Paul’s teaching on the church’s worship assemblies and its handling of fundamentals of the faith like the resurrection must have also hit the mark, as these topics are not revisited in the second epistle.
While some of the truths of the first inspired epistle were well received, it evidently rubbed some members the wrong way that Paul was the one who communicated them. They said, “his letters […] are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence weak, and his speech contemptable” (2 Corinthians 10:10). In their eyes, there was a gap between the man and the message. This attitude allowed some who falsely claimed to be apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13) and boasted letters of commendation when Paul had none (2 Corinthians 3:1) to come to prominence in the church, building themselves up even as they tore Paul down. Every sacrifice Paul had made for the church became a point of derision. Every failure, even how he’d failed to make a return trip to Corinth as he scheduled (2 Corinthians 1:15-24), was magnified and maligned.
Paul was an exceptional Christian and minister of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brought inspiration to a second letter to Corinth in part to encourage the Corinthians to give as they had promised (2 Corinthians 8-9) but mostly to defend Jesus’ beloved apostle. Most of the letter either answers the charges made against Paul or reveals Paul’s heart concerning the Corinthians. Paul was not perfect; he had a thorn in the flesh that kept him weak (2 Corinthians 12:5-10) and acknowledged other shortcomings and possible errors in judgment in the letter (e.g. 2 Corinthians 11:6-9). On another occasion, the Holy Spirit led Paul to openly acknowledge that perfection was a mark he would never reach on earth (Philippians 3:12-14). Yes, as 2 Corinthians acknowledges, Paul at best was an “earthen vessel,” a simple jar of clay, that stood out in stark contrast to the treasure that is the Gospel, “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).
Why does God choose earthen vessels to carry and communicate His treasure? He has always done so. Certainly Jesus in His perfection, Who could and did speak from Heaven (Acts 9:3-6) and through visions (Acts 9:10-16), could have communicated the Gospel to Paul himself, but He chose to send Ananias instead. And certainly an angel, a being whose name literally means “messenger” and of a group frequently used to communicate to men (e.g. Hebrews 2:2), could have communicated the Gospel to Cornelius, but the Holy Spirit sent Peter instead (Acts 10:19-20) – after telling Cornelius through an angel to expect him (Acts 10:3-6)! There’s an irony: a man who would later struggle with his own example and behavior toward Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-14) was the first apostle Jesus chose to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. What a contrast between the man and his message!
But maybe that’s the point. Earthen vessels and their imperfections allow the treasure that is the Gospel to stand out. This is the very thing that the Holy Spirit said through Paul: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Nowhere does the Gospel appear more powerful than when it transforms a vessel like Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle. And, even when Paul, Ananias, Peter, or others don’t behave as the vessel that God has chosen them to be, the Gospel still can shine all the more in contrast.
God still uses earthen vessels today. Some of them, even ones in God’s “great house” are still “vessels […] for dishonor” (2 Timothy 2:19). Even when they are not, the best of them may pale in comparison to Paul, and, like Paul, fall short of the perfection they preach. While it is vital to discern the proverbial wolves “in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15), 2 Corinthians stands as a reminder that its not wise, in fact it’s wrong, to spend all of our time picking at the faults of God’s vessels.
What Corinth didn’t know about Paul, and what the Holy Spirit allowed him to reveal, was that his letters were not callously and judgmentally issued; they were tear-soaked and written with abundant love (2 Corinthians 2:4). When Paul thought about all that he endured as a minister for Jesus, one thing topped the list: “what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Many earthen vessels today feel exactly the same as Paul did, and, like Paul, spend sleepless nights and shed tears over the challenging truths they must deliver. Many vessels hope and pray you will look past the imperfections they know all too well about themselves and discover God’s treasure.
So, the next time an earthen vessel delivers a message to you, please be careful to distinguish between the man and his message. God did! And feel free to use God’s treasure to measure both the man and his message within reason. Sometimes the imperfection of a vessel translates into what he says or does, and God often uses one vessel to help another be better, just as Paul helped Peter when he needed it (Galatians 2:11-14). Please though, avoid the temptation to tear down another vessel in order to make yourself appear better, and never assume that a challenging truth was not spoken in love.
After Paul left, things changed. A church which had learned the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) became more focused on preachers than on the message they preached (1 Corinthians 1:12). This led to a division in the congregation that was obvious even in the worship assembly (1 Corinthians 11:17-18). Spiritual gifts provided by the Holy Spirit “for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) were being used selfishly (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:15-17) and, to visitors and onlookers at least, confusingly, in contrast with the God who gave them (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:23, 33). Blatant public sin was tolerated (1 Corinthians 5:1-2), and some even began to doubt the fundamentals of the Gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:12). After Paul exchanged letters with the church (1 Corinthians 5:9; 7:1) and received a really troubling report about the division there from the household of Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit” and to Paul to write the inspired letter we now know as 1 Corinthians (cf. Acts 15:28; 1 Corinthians 7:40; 14:37).
Judging from the second letter the Holy Spirit led Paul to send to Corinth, 2 Corinthians, Paul’s first inspired epistle had an impact. Some of the truths communicated in it were received, as the church zealously tried to clear its name. The church came to regret the way it had handled the brother living in open sin, “him who had done the wrong” (2 Corinthians 7:8-11), and evidently exercised the discipline Paul encouraged (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). In fact, they had actually gone too far and now needed to be encouraged to forgive their now penitent brother (2 Corinthians 2:5-11). Paul’s teaching on the church’s worship assemblies and its handling of fundamentals of the faith like the resurrection must have also hit the mark, as these topics are not revisited in the second epistle.
While some of the truths of the first inspired epistle were well received, it evidently rubbed some members the wrong way that Paul was the one who communicated them. They said, “his letters […] are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence weak, and his speech contemptable” (2 Corinthians 10:10). In their eyes, there was a gap between the man and the message. This attitude allowed some who falsely claimed to be apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13) and boasted letters of commendation when Paul had none (2 Corinthians 3:1) to come to prominence in the church, building themselves up even as they tore Paul down. Every sacrifice Paul had made for the church became a point of derision. Every failure, even how he’d failed to make a return trip to Corinth as he scheduled (2 Corinthians 1:15-24), was magnified and maligned.
Paul was an exceptional Christian and minister of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brought inspiration to a second letter to Corinth in part to encourage the Corinthians to give as they had promised (2 Corinthians 8-9) but mostly to defend Jesus’ beloved apostle. Most of the letter either answers the charges made against Paul or reveals Paul’s heart concerning the Corinthians. Paul was not perfect; he had a thorn in the flesh that kept him weak (2 Corinthians 12:5-10) and acknowledged other shortcomings and possible errors in judgment in the letter (e.g. 2 Corinthians 11:6-9). On another occasion, the Holy Spirit led Paul to openly acknowledge that perfection was a mark he would never reach on earth (Philippians 3:12-14). Yes, as 2 Corinthians acknowledges, Paul at best was an “earthen vessel,” a simple jar of clay, that stood out in stark contrast to the treasure that is the Gospel, “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).
Why does God choose earthen vessels to carry and communicate His treasure? He has always done so. Certainly Jesus in His perfection, Who could and did speak from Heaven (Acts 9:3-6) and through visions (Acts 9:10-16), could have communicated the Gospel to Paul himself, but He chose to send Ananias instead. And certainly an angel, a being whose name literally means “messenger” and of a group frequently used to communicate to men (e.g. Hebrews 2:2), could have communicated the Gospel to Cornelius, but the Holy Spirit sent Peter instead (Acts 10:19-20) – after telling Cornelius through an angel to expect him (Acts 10:3-6)! There’s an irony: a man who would later struggle with his own example and behavior toward Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-14) was the first apostle Jesus chose to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. What a contrast between the man and his message!
But maybe that’s the point. Earthen vessels and their imperfections allow the treasure that is the Gospel to stand out. This is the very thing that the Holy Spirit said through Paul: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Nowhere does the Gospel appear more powerful than when it transforms a vessel like Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle. And, even when Paul, Ananias, Peter, or others don’t behave as the vessel that God has chosen them to be, the Gospel still can shine all the more in contrast.
God still uses earthen vessels today. Some of them, even ones in God’s “great house” are still “vessels […] for dishonor” (2 Timothy 2:19). Even when they are not, the best of them may pale in comparison to Paul, and, like Paul, fall short of the perfection they preach. While it is vital to discern the proverbial wolves “in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15), 2 Corinthians stands as a reminder that its not wise, in fact it’s wrong, to spend all of our time picking at the faults of God’s vessels.
What Corinth didn’t know about Paul, and what the Holy Spirit allowed him to reveal, was that his letters were not callously and judgmentally issued; they were tear-soaked and written with abundant love (2 Corinthians 2:4). When Paul thought about all that he endured as a minister for Jesus, one thing topped the list: “what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Many earthen vessels today feel exactly the same as Paul did, and, like Paul, spend sleepless nights and shed tears over the challenging truths they must deliver. Many vessels hope and pray you will look past the imperfections they know all too well about themselves and discover God’s treasure.
So, the next time an earthen vessel delivers a message to you, please be careful to distinguish between the man and his message. God did! And feel free to use God’s treasure to measure both the man and his message within reason. Sometimes the imperfection of a vessel translates into what he says or does, and God often uses one vessel to help another be better, just as Paul helped Peter when he needed it (Galatians 2:11-14). Please though, avoid the temptation to tear down another vessel in order to make yourself appear better, and never assume that a challenging truth was not spoken in love.
-Patrick Swayne
patrick@tftw.org
patrick@tftw.org
Posted in Bible Study, Christian Living
Posted in 2 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, Corinth, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Preachers, Preacher, Preaching, Corinthians
Posted in 2 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, Corinth, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Preachers, Preacher, Preaching, Corinthians
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