That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:16
After all that Paul has said before this, these are interesting verses. Remember he has been talking about the ostraca and the troubles we face. Given the significance of the ostraca and the idea of God wanting to endow us with glory he adds to the concept in these verses. He is still focused on the inner and the outer, only this time he links the concept with the body and spirit. Yes we are dying, our bodies are decaying, they are subject to abuse and attack by others, as is the case in some of what Paul has experienced. But the inner man, the spirit is being renewed day by day. If you can latch on this thought and make it yours it puts into perspective “our present troubles”. Our troubles are small and momentary. Paul the compares the troubles to the glory to come. The glory is huge and immense when compared with the troubles and it last forever. When you can focus on eternal things the things of this life become insignificant. We are all on a journey from glory to glory. (2 Cor 3:11, 18)
Paul uses an interesting construction in 2 Cor 4:17.
In Greek he says :-
ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης
surpassing to surpassing eternal weight {of glory}
or as the Literal Version puts it “an eternal weight of glory, surpassing moment by surpassing moment”. Literally we could say from hyperbole to hyperbole. That is the Greek word behind the text. Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect. But in reality it is not possible to exaggerate the glory that is to come. Whatever words we use to describe it are inadequate. As I quoted a few weeks ago, “Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” Francis Chan. It doesn’t matter with God and the glory to come how much we exaggerate, it is still all true.
Paul uses another word that is interesting in this context. He uses the word βάρος, which is weight, a burden. The NLT translate it as a verb “outweighs”. It is very interesting in the context of glory. The Hebrew (כּבד, kābōd) primarily contains the notion of beauty, majesty and splendour. But the fundamental underlying idea of this root is “weight,” “heaviness,” and hence in its primary uses it conveys the idea of some external, physical manifestation of dignity, preëminence or majesty. Do you see what Paul is doing in choosing these words. This glory which is a symbol of heaviness is far heavier than ever you could imagine. The inherent quality about it is full and heavy. It outweighs anything you set against it. That is exactly what Glory is. The quality of that glory is like that of the weight of a gold bar. Pure gold is heavy. Pure glory is likewise heavy. It makes me think of my new Mac computer. I have changed and become a Mac-user. What is interesting in this context is the weight of the Mac. The new Mac computer is slimmer, smaller, more compact than my old Toshiba but weighs significantly more. I guess that speaks of the quality of what is inside it.
Do you see that Paul is rounding off his thoughts on inner and outer things, setting this concept against our troubles that we encounter. Paul concludes the quality of the life to come, the glory that will be on show far outweighs anything you might suffer in this life. Remember in the earlier section he says “we are hunted down, knocked down”. We share in the death of Jesus. Many of the early Christians suffered the persecution of Christ, some were even crucified. That’s a pretty “heavy” burden. But Paul says “it’s nothing compared to what is waiting for you on the other side”. And this is coming from one who knows all about suffering. Beaten, whipped, stoned and left for dead. And in fact he has another perspective on it as well. He was once the perpetrator of such brutality on the followers of Jesus he was rounding up. He knows what he is talking about. He has experienced it. God has given him a revelation of the glory that is to come which makes any suffering or troubles we might experience now seem insignificant.
Fix your eyes on the unseen, hidden inner treasure which is Christ in you. The things we see count for nothing. The things we cannot see are the weighty things. Now that is a life changing concept if you can work it into practical reality.
There are 100 billion galaxies. Why so much space for so few earth dwellers? The heavens are telling the glory of God not man.
John Piper
If you have a pulse you have a purpose.
Rick Mathes
Our problem is that we go from toy to toy rather than from glory to glory.
A W Tozer