βBut we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of usβ (II Cor. 4:7).
In biblical times earthen vessels were clay pots that had been thoroughly baked in an oven. They were fraught with imperfections, which meant that no two were exactly alike. Archeologists have discovered that those who lived during that period secretly buried their treasures in clay pots for safekeeping. As we shall see, the master illustrator uses this facet of everyday life to illustrate a grand spiritual truth.
Those who haveΒ takenΒ the Son are heirs, joint-heirs with Him. As members of the Body of Christ, we are partakers of His glory, His power, and His reign. In short, we are the recipients of the wealth of heaven! While the believing Gentiles will partake of the blessings of the kingdom, they are not said to be heirs. In the kingdom, heirship is a question ofΒ nationality. In the present dispensation of Grace, heirship is based uponΒ relationship. We are one in Him. Therefore, what rightfully belongs to Him, we have come into possession of, and will share it mutually with Him for eternity (Rom.Β 8:17Β cf. Eph. 3:6).
Today when men want to safeguard their riches they place them in vaults made of steel and concrete. But Godβs ways are not manβs ways. God has deposited the riches of His grace in earthen vessels. We need not wait until we arrive in heaven to learn what we presently possess in Christ. We have this treasure, that is, the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24) in earthen vessels. Those who have been saved by grace are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:3). But what we positionally enjoy in Christ must become aΒ practicalΒ reality in the Christian experience if we ever hope to maintain a godly testimony among men. For example, we are forgiven in Christ, but grace teaches us that we should forgive others even as Christ has forgiven us.
But why would God place these unspeakable riches in such an unsecure place? We are unworthy sinners, weak and frail, who have the sentence of death within us. The answer to the question is found in the latter part of our passage. βThat the excellency [exceeding greatness] of the power may be of God, and not of us.β While others usually think more highly of us than they should, essentially it is the power of God working through us that produces results in the Lordβs work.
At the Judgment Seat of Christ no one will be able to boast regarding what he or she has accomplished, for the power is solely of God and not of us. βHe that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.β In the final analysis, God will receive all the glory and honor and praise and adoration for the great things He has done. We are merely vessels through whom God has poured out the riches of His grace to a lost and dying world.
What is yourΒ attitudeΒ toward the Mystery? When the final chapter of your life is written and the book is closed, will you be able to say with the Apostle Paul, βI have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faithβ? May you have no regrets at that day! source
