BASIC WORD : WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSEL

“WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS THAT THE EXCELLENCY OF THE POWER MAY BE OF GOD AND NOT OUT OF US”

Through the Illumination of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ, the Christ of Glory as the Excellent Treasure Being Received by the Believers; Now the Shining Reality of Christ, the Embodiment and Expression of the Triune God, Being the Treasure within Us

Second Corinthians 4:7 says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.” Through the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, the Christ of glory as the excellent treasure is received by the believers; now the shining reality of Christ, the embodiment and expression of the Triune God, is the treasure within us (vv. 6-7). May we take at least a step forward in our understanding of this treasure. The Christ of glory is the excellent treasure received by the believers.

The shining reality of Christ is also the treasure within us. Reality is one of the words that has touched me the most in the New Testament and in all the ministry. We can all be very thankful and appreciative for what we have been learning. To a certain degree, we understand, but eventually, a deep yearning will emerge from within us: “Lord, make the shining reality of the all-inclusive Christ real to me.” The shining brings the reality. No matter what our age is humanly or spiritually, at least to a certain extent, we can discern, without judgment, that there is reality with certain brothers or sisters. We know that we can have genuine fellowship with them, and there will be nothing political or self-made when we need some help through our fellowship with them. We have the assurance that we will touch something real and that what is shared has its source in the shining reality of Christ. We should be among those who know and experience the shining reality of Christ with much thankfulness and praise. Although we are earthen vessels, even physically limited, there is the wonderful treasure in us—the shining reality of Christ.

God’s Shining, Which Is God’s Dispensing, in Our Hearts Bringing into Us a Treasure, the All-inclusive Christ, Who Is the Embodiment of the Triune God as the Life-giving Spirit to Be Our Life and Everything

God’s shining, which is God’s dispensing, in our hearts brings into us a treasure, the all-inclusive Christ, who is the embodiment of the Triune God as the life-giving Spirit to be our life and everything (vv. 4 , 6-7 ; Col. 2:9 ; 3:4 , 11 ; 1 Cor. 15:45b). God’s shining is His dispensing. When He is shining, He is dispensing certain aspects of the all-inclusive Christ in us. God’s dispensing, His shining in our hearts, brings into us a treasure, the all-inclusive Christ, who is our life and everything.

That Christ is all-inclusive implies that we are nothing. The all-inclusive Christ is to us whatever we need, whether it is patience, endurance, humility, or love. It is a great release when we realize that Christ being all-inclusive means that He is everything. This designation—the all-inclusive Christ—is not a mere phrase but a reality. In whatever situation God has arranged for us in our environment, we have the opportunity to experience aspects of Christ. We do not necessarily know the particular aspects we need or realize which aspects we are experiencing; we simply know that He is living in us. We can let Him be what we could never be and allow Him to do what we could never do, because He is our life and everything, regardless of what may be taking place. In 2022 my cardiologist told me that the five stents he had put in my heart no longer worked and that I needed open-heart surgery. My immediate response was peace and thankfulness. When my wife heard the same thing, she had the same response. Then I immediately realized that this was a Body matter. Eventually, we all will have the realization that we cannot live without the organic Body of Christ. The Body can exist without us but not as well as with us. Many years ago a sister called me and said, “I think it is better for the church if I am not here.” At first, I did not know what to say. I then had a sense, perhaps from the Spirit, and said to her, “Yes, you could leave, but the Body is much better with you than without you.” We need every member.

This Priceless Treasure, the Indwelling Christ, Being the Divine Source of the Supply for the Christian Life

This priceless treasure, the indwelling Christ, is the divine source of the supply for the Christian life (Phil. 4:13 ; 2 Cor. 13:5 ; 4:7). The treasure in us, the indwelling Christ, is the source of the supply for the Christian life. We need to eventually know the source. When it comes to the many aspects in the church life, in the ministry, in the work, and in our personal life, we need to realize that God the Father is the source. The Lord will bring us to the point where the indwelling Christ is the source of the supply for the Christian life. He gives the supply not all at once but continuously. Our heart beats continuously and does not take breaks. Likewise, the supply from the indwelling Christ is little by little, yet unending.

This Priceless Treasure Having Made Us, the Earthen Vessels, Ministers of the New Covenant with a Priceless Ministry; This Being by the Divine Power in Resurrection; the Excellency of This Power Being Surely of God and Not out of Us

This priceless treasure has made us, the earthen vessels, ministers of the new covenant with a priceless ministry; this is by the divine power in resurrection; the excellency of this power is surely of God and not out of us (3:6 ; 1:9 ; 4:7). We may or may not realize that we are ministers of the new covenant, but every member of the Body is a minister of the new covenant with the priceless ministry. Ephesians 4:11-12 reveals that certain ones are gifts as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers, who train and perfect the saints. Every member of the Body has a portion of the new covenant ministry, and the Body builds itself up in love through the members as ministers. However, in our mind we may unintentionally have a religious concept that only certain ones are the ministers and others are the ordinary members, a concept much like some members being the clergy and others being the laity.

The brothers who speak these messages are simply members of the Body; they are not in a unique category. They have a certain portion of the ministry, and they need to stay within their measure. God is a God of measure (2 Cor. 10:13). He is not only measuring us for His possession but also measuring how much we can do, what we can do, where we can do it, and how long we can do it. Nevertheless, we all are members of the Body and have a portion of the new covenant ministry. This is by the divine power in resurrection. The excellency of the power is surely of God and not out of us (4:7). It may seem very simple to understand that the power is not out of me but out of God. It may be easy to agree with that statement, but we may not realize that we are still trying to get through, understand, and endure certain situations. This indicates that we are turning to ourselves as the source. Eventually, we will realize that whenever there is a need, we can immediately turn to the Lord; He is everything and will do what He needs to do.