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Seeing the unseen

 

…while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:18)

Paul begins 2 Corinthians chapter four by saying that he doesn’t lose heart in his ministry.  Much of the chapter goes on to show hardships he faced in ministry, yet with an optimistic tone.  Later in the chapter he repeats, “we do not lose heart.”  This beautiful passage concludes with an important reminder, “the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal”.

I suppose he might have said it a variety of ways.  He could have said the things that are seen are less important, or insignificant, or any number of things.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul said none of these.  He said the things visible are TEMPORAL.  I suppose this means temporary.  It indicates the things visible are transitory and will eventually fade away.

In contrast, Paul indicates “the things that are not seen are eternal”.  So, what are these things that are “not seen”?

1.       Acts of righteousness.  In The Sermon of the Mount Jesus addresses three common practices: giving, prayer, and fasting.  In each case he admonishes the listener to do these acts of righteousness in secret. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 6:1) “and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Mt 6:6b) We are to give, pray and fast in a way that is unseen.

2.       Hearts of people.  The human soul is eternal.  Anytime we invest ourselves spiritually in the lives of others we are making an eternal investment.  But it is very hard to see the impact we may be having. The human heart is invisible, for the most part. How often faithful Christians have invested time and effort to disciple someone- with little or no apparent result? Years later that same person comes around to share what a huge influence you were on them.  Maybe they modeled your walk with God, or your family.  Possibly they are multiplying their faith in ways you would never have imagined.  “the things that are not seen are eternal.”

3.       Word of God. It has been said two things are eternal- the souls of men and the Word of God. Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. (Ps 119:89) Every time the Word of God goes forth, it accomplishes it work.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isa 55:11)

Even though God’s word is always effective in accomplishing its work, it is often invisible in its immediate application.  Consider the Parable of the Sower and the Seeds.  The Sower sows the Word of God.  There are a variety of responses.  Some seeds are immediately eaten by birds and taken away.  They do not take root.  Others die away when trouble or persecution comes.  Still others are choked out by the cares of this world.  Finally, some bear lasting fruit.  As the Sower sows he sees no immediate results.  Only over time will he eventually see the harvest.

So why does Paul encourage us to look to the things that are unseen?  During times of discouragement, we must look to the unseen things.  When we are tempted to lose heart, we must look with eyes of faith. We must see the unseen. 

 

 


[1]All passages in this blog entry are taken from  New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).


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