By David Ettinger
This blog is a followup to yesterday’s, Never Lose Heart, Christian
Callous Paul?
Think of the worst day you ever endured. Think of the worst sorrow you ever suffered. Think of the worst pain you ever felt. Think of the worst injustice you ever experienced.
Bad, wasn’t it? Yet, if you were to share these painful memories with the apostle Paul, he would categorize them as but “light affliction.” Seems rather callous of him, doesn’t it? Put that way, yes, but in context, Paul’s “light affliction” is comforting truth!
Another Layer
We find this phrase in 2 Corinthians 4:17: “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”
In verse 16, Paul talked about how though life is exceedingly difficult, Christians are not to lose heart because though we suffer in the flesh, our spirits are being renewed daily.
Paul then adds another layer of significance to this reality in verse 17. He tells us that something so wonderful awaits us that by comparison it will make the suffering we experience here on Earth but a glitch on the way to eternal bliss. One would hardly call human suffering a “glitch,” but this is what the phrase “light affliction” roughly means in this context.
Play on Words
To drive home his point, Paul employs several play on words. Though he penned 2 Corinthians in Greek, he referemces the Hebrew word for “glory,” which is kabod, from the root word for “heavy,” kabed.
Therefore, the word “glory,” when referring to God, speaks of heaviness, something weighty. In this case, the glory of God is “heavy” in magnitude.
In Paul’s theology, the ultimate glory awaiting Christians is the receiving of our permanent, glorious resurrection bodies. Such glory is so “heavy” and “weighty” in magnificence that while we still exist in our decaying flesh, we cannot even fathom it.
Paul has this incomprehensible “heavy” or “weighty” glory in mind when he contrasts it with our current earthly circumstances. For where our future heavenly glory is filled with heaviness and weight, so our afflictions now are merely “light” – not weighty at all!
The Greek word for “light” is elaphron, meaning “light in weight,” “easy to bear.” So no, while in these mortal bodies our sufferings are anything but “light,” in context of the coming “heavy” eternal glory awaiting us, they are entirely bearable, a pothole on the road to paradise.
And not only this, but Paul goes one step further by referring to our “light affliction” as “momentary.” The Greek word for “momentary” is parautika, meaning “brief,” “for a slight moment,” or “on the spot (right here and now).”
Living with body-ravaging disease for 20 years, or mourning the loss of a loved one for 30 years hardly seems “momentary” or “brief,” but in contrast to the unimaginable “heavy” glory that awaits us, this is indeed what our earthly sufferings amount to.
Summed Up
Though Paul suffered greatly for his faith (2 Corinthians 11:22-33), he always had his mind on eternity. He summed this up richly at the end of his life when he wrote, “in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:8). And wonderfully, he added, “and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Paul was talking about me, you, and all who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
May we embrace Paul’s majestic teaching, grateful that the “heaviness” of the glory awaiting us will make the suffering we now experience but a “momentary, light affliction”!
ken riddles
February 19, 2021
An encouraging word – ‘a pothole on the road to paradise’. – a great line!
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dettinger47
February 19, 2021
Thank you, Ken. Once it a while I come up with something clever, but I don’t let it happen too often!
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Blue Collar Theologian
February 19, 2021
Excellent work! Love the Hebrew work in this post! Love the comparisons and I am thankful that God’s heavy and weighty glory is waiting for us after our time of light affliction.
PS: I have concluded that if anyone wants a career where they can be wrong 100% of the time and stay employed, be a meteorologist. After all, only God knows the weather (hence why we are having unforecasted/unforeseen snow!!!!)!
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dettinger47
February 19, 2021
Thanks, Mandy. I knew you’d like the use of the Hebrew.
And regarding the snow … didn’t you live in Florida not too long ago?
Oh sorry, I was about to write more, but I got distracted by the 74-degrees weather just outside my window!!!
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Blue Collar Theologian
February 19, 2021
Hahaha yes and it was too hot in the summer!!!! My mom is telling me how nice the weather is in St. Pete. My dad left early Wednesday morning for St Pete so he is missing all this “light affliction” of snow!
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dettinger47
February 19, 2021
“Light affliction of snow.” Well done! However, I must insist, when it’s my blog, you must leave the humor to me exclusively. 😅😅
And regarding being too hot in the summer here … nah, that’s just a state of mind. ☀️☀️☀️
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Blue Collar Theologian
February 19, 2021
Ya know, when Pharaoh hardened his own heart, it was kabed, heavy, weighty. Don’t be Pharaoh, God has more than enough humor to go around, even on your blog!!! (I hope this doesn’t come across poorly, if it does please don’t post it!!!)
Also the hurricanes were a concern. The panic that ensued around Dorian made Nathan and I question if this was the best place for us! If we had to flee for high ground because of a hurricane, should we just live in higher ground. Obviously, you know the choice we made!!!!
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dettinger47
February 19, 2021
Definitely. People on the coast of Florida do tend to move more than those inland. Fortunately, Orlando is more centrally located, hence we’re not in quite as much danger from hurricanes as those on the coasts.
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Blue Collar Theologian
February 19, 2021
That’s true about Orlando! Florida really is a nice place. If my mom needed help we would move back without hesitation. Will you get to see your little man this weekend?!
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dettinger47
February 19, 2021
Yes, tomorrow!
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Blue Collar Theologian
February 19, 2021
Fantastic!!!!
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