What is the meaning of 2 Corinthians 6:9? Unknown, yet well-known • The apostolic band moved through the cities without earthly recognition, “unknown” to the movers and shakers of Corinthian society. Yet in heaven’s registry they were “well-known.” • 1 John 3:1: “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” • Galatians 4:9 reminds believers that being “known by God” is the higher privilege. • 2 Timothy 2:19 affirms, “The Lord knows those who are His,” grounding every servant’s identity. • The churches, too, came to recognize their genuine authority (1 Thessalonians 2:4), proving that obscurity before the world can coexist with clear testimony among God’s people. Dying, and yet we live on • Everyday ministry put Paul and his companions in mortal danger (2 Corinthians 4:10–11), making “dying” more than a metaphor. • Romans 8:36 cites, “For Your sake we face death all day long,” underscoring the continual risk. • Yet God kept breathing life into their bodies and spirits; Psalm 118:17 declares, “I will not die, but live, and proclaim what the LORD has done.” • Jesus’ promise in John 11:25—“Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die”—turned physical jeopardy into a platform for displaying resurrection power (Philippians 1:21). • The result: an unmistakable blend of frailty and vitality that authenticated the gospel. Punished, yet not killed • Floggings, imprisonments, and riots (Acts 5:40; Acts 14:19-20) brought real punishment, but none succeeded in silencing the witnesses. • 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 parallels this: “struck down, but not destroyed.” God set a boundary on the hostility, echoing Psalm 129:2, “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.” • Every narrow escape reinforced the truth that “our times are in His hands” (Psalm 31:15). Preservation was not luck; it was purposeful protection so that the message could advance (Acts 23:11). summary Paul strings together three paradoxes to show how gospel ministry looks through two lenses at once. The world may overlook, threaten, or discipline Christ’s servants, but the Lord sees, sustains, and shields them. These contrasts call believers to expect opposition without despair, to rely on divine approval over human applause, and to trust that no earthly force can terminate a life or mission upheld by God. |
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