2 Corinthians 4:16-18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
16 [a]Therefore, we are not discouraged;[b] rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.(A) 17 For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,(B) 18 as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.(C)
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- 4:16–18 In a series of contrasts Paul explains the extent of his faith in life. Life is not only already present and revealing itself (2 Cor 4:8–11, 16) but will outlast his experience of affliction and dying: it is eternal (2 Cor 4:17–18).
- 4:16 Not discouraged: i.e., despite the experience of death. Paul is still speaking of himself personally, but he assumes his faith and attitude will be shared by all Christians. Our outer self: the individual subject of ordinary perception and observation, in contrast to the interior and hidden self, which undergoes renewal. Is being renewed day by day: this suggests a process that has already begun; cf. 2 Cor 3:18. The renewal already taking place even in Paul’s dying is a share in the life of Jesus, but this is recognized only by faith (2 Cor 4:13, 18; 2 Cor 5:7).
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