A beauty that beckons. The glory of Christ and its perception in 2 Corinthians 2:14-4:6

Abstract

This study is an analysis of the glory of Christ and its perception in Paul's apology of his apostolic ministry in 2 Corinthians 2:14-4:6. The exegetical focus within the passage lies on the three verses that address the spiritual transformation of believers through their encounter with God: 2 Corinthians 3:3, 3:18 and 4:6. The study also presents a survey of spiritual perception and appearance in the Corinthian correspondence, a hitherto neglected perspective. The survey concludes that Paul desires the Corinthians to grow in spiritual perception and warns them of judgement by appearance only. In 2 Corinthians Paul is concerned with his relationship to the Corinthians. In light of accusations made against his person and ministry, he intends to correct the Corinthians' misperceptions. He explains that, contrary to appearance, his ministry does have glory. The study concludes that Paul uses the perception of the glory of Christ to explain the paradoxical nature of his ministry. The glory of his ministry is like the glory of Christ: it is unassuming and therefore not appreciated by everyone. But those who see Christ’s glory are transformed by the Spirit. They accept the paradoxical self-revelation of God in the suffering servant and Messiah, Jesus Christ. In analogy, they also accept Paul and his ministry. A further conclusion is that Paul includes the Corinthians in his ministry as co-witnesses to the gospel and the glory of Christ. Their transformation into the image of Christ means that they (should) reflect Christ’s glory. The transformation of believers is initiated by and results in the perception of the glory of Christ.