What Are You Doing with Your Light?
Background
4:6. Why did Paul lower himself and honor Christ exclusively? His reason stemmed from God’s incredible act toward him. Paul described this divine act by drawing a connection between the light of creation and the light of re-creation in Christ. As the Genesis account reports, on the first day of creation, God … said, “Let light shine out of darkness.” Paul did not quote the Genesis record precisely, but he paraphrased it to draw the connection to Christ. God’s creative act of calling for light broke the darkness of the primordial world.
Paul’s confidence that true preaching focused on the glory of Christ rather than on its ministers rested in the fact that just as God first created light, God … made his light shine in their hearts. When God sent Christ, he acted much as he did when he created physical light. Jesus spoke of himself as the “light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5) and taught that his followers were also the “light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). The New Testament also describes life in Christ as walking in the light (1 John 2:8–10).
The illumination of the hearts of individuals is not just a mental state of enlightenment. From Paul’s perspective, it is an act of re-creation. Christ’s coming into the world, and the illumination of individuals to see his light, is a gracious divine act by which believers receive the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. When Paul came to know Christ personally on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3), this act of God surpassed the original act of creation in its ability to reveal the glory of God.
Paul expressed this conviction to validate his claim that his preaching was about Jesus … as Lord and not about himself or some other. He was so captivated by the greatness of the revelation of Christ that he could do nothing else.
6. Who commanded the light to shine (ὁ εἰπὼν φῶς λάμψαι). The correct reading is λάμψει shall shine; so that we should render, it is God that said light shall shine. So Rev.
To give the light of the knowledge (πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως). Lit., for the illumination, as ver. 4. In order that the knowledge may lighten. Knowledge, if not diffused, is not of the nature of light.
In the face of Jesus Christ. Containing the thought of ch. 3:18. The knowledge of the divine glory becomes clear revelation to men in the face of Christ as it appears in the Gospel: “So that in this seen countenance that clear-shining knowledge has the source of its light, as it were, its focus” (Meyer).*
God who said (ὁ θεος ὁ εἰπων [ho theos ho eipōn]). Paraphrase of Gen. 1:3. Who shined (ὁς ἐλαμψεν [hos elampsen]). Like a lamp in the heart (cf. Matt. 5:15). Miners carry a lamp on the forehead, Christians carry one in their hearts lit by the Spirit of God. To give the light (προς φωτισμον [pros phōtismon]). For the illumination. In the face of Jesus Christ (ἐν προσωπῳ Ἰησου Χριστου [en prosōpōi Iēsou Christou]). The Christian who looks on the face of Jesus Christ as Moses looked upon the glory of God will be able to give the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God. See 2:10 for προσωπον [prosōpon].
Ver. 6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, &c.] The causal particle for, shews these words to be also a reason of the foregoing; either why they so clearly beheld the glory of the Lord, ch. 3:18 or why they renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, ch. 4:2 or why their Gospel could not be hid, ver. 3 or why they did not preach themselves, but Christ, ver. 5 because God had shined in their heart: and in this light, they saw the glory of Christ; could not bear any secret, hidden, scandalous practices; and held forth the word of light and life to others; and seeing so much of their own weakness, sinfulness, and unworthiness, dared not to preach themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; in which may be observed the character of the true God, as opposed to Satan, the god of this world, who is said to blind the minds of men, ver. 6 whereas the true God is represented as the author of light, and as producing it by a word of command, and that out of mere darkness; respect is here had to the creation of all things at the beginning, when darkness was upon the face of the deep—and God said, let there be light and there was light. Gen. 1:2, 3. Now this character of God, as creating light in this wonderful manner, is prefaced to his giving spiritual light unto his people; because of the agreement there is between light corporeal and spiritual, in their nature and production; for as there was darkness upon the earth before there was light, so there is a natural darkness in the minds of men, before any spiritual light is infused into them; and as light was the first production out of the dark and unformed chaos, so light is the first thing that is struck into the soul in conversion; moreover, as light was the effect of almighty power, so is the spiritual illumination, or the opening of the eyes of the understandings of men, who are naturally born blind; and as light was a creation of that which was not before, so the work of grace on the soul is not an increase of, or an addition to, or an improvement of the light of nature, but it is a new light, created in the understanding; add to all this, that both corporeal and spiritual light are good, and both called day; the influence that God has over the hearts of men, and the effect he produces there are, he hath shined in our hearts. The hearts of men are like this dark terraqueous globe, having no light in them; God is as the sun, the fountain of light, which shines upon them and in them; so as to give them a true sight and sense of sin, and of their lost state and condition; so as to cause them to see the fulness and suitableness of Christ as a Saviour; so as to warm their affections, and draw out their desires after Christ, his ways, truths, ordinances, and people; and so as to give them light into the mysteries of the Gospel; particularly he so shines into the hearts of some, whom he makes ministers of the Gospel, as to give more light and knowledge into Gospel truths, than he does to others; and his end in doing this, is to give: that is, that his ministering servants may give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; men must be first made light in, and by the Lord, or they’ll never be fit and proper persons to hold forth the word of light, or to communicate light to others; God first shines into their hearts, and then they give light to others: by the glory of God is not meant the essential glory of God, or the perfections of his nature, though these are to be seen in the face, or person of Christ; but rather the glorious counsels of God, and scheme of salvation by Jesus Christ; or in other words, the glorious Gospel of God: and by the knowledge of it is designed, not a mere notional speculative knowledge of the Gospel, but an experimental one; a spiritual knowledge of the Gospel, of Christ in it, of God in Christ, and of an interest in God’s salvation by Christ: now when the ministers of the word are said to give the light of this to men, or to enlighten them with this knowledge, it can’t be thought that they are the efficient causes, for such are only Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit; but only that they are instrumental, and are means in the hands of God, of bringing persons to see the fellowship of this mystery: all which is done, in the face of Jesus Christ; this denotes the clearness and perspicuity of their ministry, and of that knowledge which is communicated by it; see ch. 3:12 and also the authority by which they act; ’tis in the name and person of Christ, in which sense the phrase is used, ch. 2:10.
2 Corinthians 4:1–6. The servant of Christ must never forget that he once needed and obtained mercy. This will sustain him in many an hour when heart and flesh fail. His weapon is the truth, his appeal to conscience. Others may vie with him in brilliant imagination, fervid enthusiasm, and intellectual force, but he has unrivaled supremacy in the realm of conscience. As Richard I of England, immured in a castle-dungeon, recognized the voice and song of his troubadour, singing outside the castle gate a strain familiar to them both, and responded note for note, so does conscience awaken and respond to the truth, which it recognizes as the voice of God.
Why, then, does the gospel fail? Not through any defect in itself, nor because of some arbitrary decree on the part of God, but because the god of this world has blinded the eyes of the heart by the glamour of worldly prosperity and success, or perhaps by the covering film or scale of evil habit, so that the light of the dawn, stealing over the world, is unable to penetrate the darkened life.
“Glory” is a key idea in this section of the letter, appearing fourteen times in 3:1–4:6, but the word is notoriously difficult to define. Simply put, it is the manifestation of God’s presence, but what does that denote? The Exodus story Paul is using helps us. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, “the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God” (Exod 34:29), suggesting there is a great radiance about the presence of God that actually does something transformational to this human being. But the experience is also awe-full, because the Israelites were afraid to come near Moses when his face shone (Exod 34:30). This transforming, awe-inspiring, even frightening sense of God’s presence is what we call “glory.” [Other Biblical Texts on God’s Glory] Paul’s declaration that the Law came in glory suggests, therefore, that it derived from God’s presence or brought a sense of God’s presence or both.
In v. 6 Paul compares the giving of light by way of the gospel to the creation of light by God. Literally, the verse reads thus: “For God who said, ‘Out of darkness let light shine (or, light will shine),’ (is He) who shined in our hearts unto enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Genesis 1:3 is the source of the creation reference. Thus Paul sees conversion as a new creation, a new shining of light out of darkness by the Word and work if God. That he is referring to conversion is clear in light of the simple past action “shined.”
The same God who created light by his word, says Paul, became light in our hearts. As the ancient Greek expositor Chrysostom commented: “Then indeed He said, Let it be and it was: but now He said nothing, but Himself became light for us. For the apostle does not say, ‘has also now commanded’ but ‘has Himself shined’ ” (cited by Tasker 72). The result of that shining in our hearts is our enlightenment (the same word as in v. 4). And in that enlightenment we gain the knowledge (a Greek appositional genitive: the enlightenment is the knowing) of the glory of God in the face of Christ. We come to know that what we see in the face, in the person, of Christ, is the glory of God Himself; and in that knowledge is knowledge of God Himself, of ultimate truth. As above (v. 4), in Jesus we see God. Here there is implied contrast looking back to 3:7, 13. The glory of God shone in Moses’ face, but was hidden and fading. In the face of Jesus Christ God’s glory is seen perfectly and eternally because He is God visibly expressed. Thus when we are beholding Him (3:18, again) we are beholding God’s glory and by that are being gradually transformed into a reflection of Himself.
No doubt Paul, reminding his readers of this truth for all believers, remembered his own experience on the Damascus road: “In that light which God flashed into his heart, he saw the face of Jesus Christ, and knew that the glory which shone there was the glory of God” (Denney 755).
In v. 6 Paul compares the giving of light by way of the gospel to the creation of light by God. Literally, the verse reads thus: “For God who said, ‘Out of darkness let light shine (or, light will shine),’ (is He) who shined in our hearts unto enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Genesis 1:3 is the source of the creation reference. Thus Paul sees conversion as a new creation, a new shining of light out of darkness by the Word and work if God. That he is referring to conversion is clear in light of the simple past action “shined.”
The same God who created light by his word, says Paul, became light in our hearts. As the ancient Greek expositor Chrysostom commented: “Then indeed He said, Let it be and it was: but now He said nothing, but Himself became light for us. For the apostle does not say, ‘has also now commanded’ but ‘has Himself shined’ ” (cited by Tasker 72). The result of that shining in our hearts is our enlightenment (the same word as in v. 4). And in that enlightenment we gain the knowledge (a Greek appositional genitive: the enlightenment is the knowing) of the glory of God in the face of Christ. We come to know that what we see in the face, in the person, of Christ, is the glory of God Himself; and in that knowledge is knowledge of God Himself, of ultimate truth. As above (v. 4), in Jesus we see God. Here there is implied contrast looking back to 3:7, 13. The glory of God shone in Moses’ face, but was hidden and fading. In the face of Jesus Christ God’s glory is seen perfectly and eternally because He is God visibly expressed. Thus when we are beholding Him (3:18, again) we are beholding God’s glory and by that are being gradually transformed into a reflection of Himself.
No doubt Paul, reminding his readers of this truth for all believers, remembered his own experience on the Damascus road: “In that light which God flashed into his heart, he saw the face of Jesus Christ, and knew that the glory which shone there was the glory of God” (Denney 755).