The New Testament ministry is before us here. The sufferings of a life of service were a joy to the apostle because of having Christ before him as he passed from one trial to another.
Christ is the substance of all of the types of the Old Testament.
Paul was careful not to corrupt such a doctrine of righteousness and grace. He would commend himself to everyone's conscience. Our hearts go out to men everywhere knowing that if the gospel be hid, it is hid to those who are lost. It is those who have heard and believe not that the god of this world blinds, "lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
"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."
Christ is the full display of the glory of God in man that we might be formed into the same likeness. By being taken up with Christ, we are already what we shall be.
The treasure is Christ in the earthen vessel, but the vessel was under affliction for the gospel's sake. The breaking down of the vessel left a testimony by the Spirit; showing its weakness in difficulties, Paul passed through weakness and was troubled by Satan, "yet not distressed," because God sustained the apostle, "perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken" because the Lord stood between. He "was cast down," but God did not allow him to be destroyed.
Paul was continually dying in his body like the Lord Jesus, when here in the world, in order that the life of Jesus might be seen. Everything here must go; only through nature's being completely subdued could the testimony go out with power. Paul took on the likeness of the Lord Jesus in his life, his body, so that nothing of man's strength might hinder the working of the power of God through him. So death worked in the apostle, but life in the Corinthians.
Paul had the same spirit that the saints of old had in the Psalms. They believed and therefore spoke (martyrs!).
Discouragement is not faith. The apostle would not allow it in his life.
We do not seek persecution, but if it comes, allowed of God, it is for a purpose in connection with the testimony.
Resurrection was in view for Paul as it was for Christ. Everything loss here, all gain up there.
The outward man's perishing was just for a moment; eternity was before him, with Christ. The inner man was renewed daily, as he looked not at the things that are seen which are temporal, but at the things not seen which are eternal. Our light affliction is contrasted with the eternal weight of glory.