2 Corinthians 4:1-7

Not all who preach, preach the Gospel. There are those who preach for personal reasons, or who feel as if God has ‘called’ them into the ministry, but only those preach the Gospel in whom God the Spirit has revealed the Son, and given them the ministry to declare the singular, exclusive Gospel of His Son (who He is, why He came, what He accomplished, for whom He came, and where He is now).

The light of the knowledge of Christ is communicated through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

The light of the knowledge of Christ is communicated through a ministry of mercy to the vessels of mercy, according to God’s Sovereign Mercy alone:

¹”Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;” One who has never known what it is to be a vessel of mercy, vs. a vessel of wrath (Romans 9:22) cannot preach what he does not know. Those who are taught of God, by the Spirit of Grace, revealing in them the LIGHT of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, can but speak of His Mercy exclusively. ‘Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,’ Psalm 107:2.

The light of the knowledge of Christ is revealed through the faithful communication of the Word of God, without compromise:

^2“But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” Many who preach will not preach the Word in Truth because it is an offense to them, and they fear being isolated and cut off by their hearers, as did the Pharisees, who for fear of the people held their peace, John 7:13. These attempt to convert sinners in some other way, and soften and pervert the Gospel message, thinking that they can achieve a better result by dishonestly handling the Word of God. However, God is the God of truth, and will not bless lies to the converting of souls. Lies only breed false profession and further deception, Matthew 23:15.

The light of the knowledge of Christ is revealed to those that are lost:

^{3 “}But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” The reason that it is necessary for God to work graciously in revealing Christ to sinners is because men are by nature lost, and don’t perceive their lost estate before God. How lost is lost? So lost that men don’t even perceive that they are in a false and condemned state of mind and heart. Whatever light they think they have is actually darkness, and how great is that darkness, Matthew 6:23.

The light of the knowledge of Christ is judicially hidden from some:

^{4 “}In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” The translators wrote ‘god,’ in lower case, but in the original it is the same word for God as used in verse 2. Here then is the offense of the knowledge of Christ that GOD should judicially blind many and NOT reveal Christ in them. Such is His prerogative as God, and such is our just desert, had God so purposed to pass us by, Isaiah 44:18, John 12:40.

The light of the knowledge of Christ is communicated through the preaching of Him:

^{5 “}For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the LORD; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.”

Many today exalt themselves, and promote themselves and their ‘ministries’. However, those who are God’s preachers declare CHRIST and Him crucified alone, 1 Corinthians 2:2,3.

The light of the knowledge of Christ is given by God the Father’s commandment:

^{6 “}For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

The light of the knowledge of Christ is revealed to sinners as mere mortal men, to the glory of God alone: