Andrew’s Live Bible Study Notes – 5/9/17 2 of

    If Paul had more afflictions than we do yet his afflictions were “light,”

then how can we justify complaining about our “heavy” burdens? 

It’s not our external situations that are the problem; it’s the lack of being

renewed in our inner selves daily that is the problem.

Note 19 at 2 Corinthians 4:17:

    Second Corinthians 4:17‐18 gives a very practical reason
    Paul’s afflictions were only“light”

(see note 18 at this verse). It was because he evaluated every

situation in the light of eternity. Any problem he encountered in his lifetime was only for a moment, compared to the eternity he

would spend with the Lord. Just the time element of eternity sh

rinks the problems of this life into relative insignificance.

As bad as anyone’s marital situation may be, it will only last

for this lifetime (Matt. 22:30 and Mark 12:25).

If we thought on the blessings promised us that will last throughout
all eternity, we could rejoice through the worst of marriages. 

The worst any disease could do is kill us. That’s not the end

of existence. We will live forever with the Lord.
Thinking on this will take the sting out of death (1 Cor. 15:55).

Any situation we face can be reduced to a manageable size if we

will put it into the perspective of eternity.

2 Corinthians 4:18

–

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.

Note on 2 Corinthians 4:18

As explained in my note at 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul shrunk his

problems down to a manageable size by :

(1) realizing all his problems here were temporary, 

(2) recognizing there were rewards awaiting him for

enduring hardship in this life, and 

(3) focusing his attention away from carnal thinking and toward spiritual

thinking. In this verse, Paul wasn’t saying he was ignorant of the problems in this life or in denial of their existence.

He just didn’t focus on the physical, temporary things of this

world. He was more focused on the eternal, intangible things of the spiritual realm.

This is a key. We can never be truly happy or effective if we are
 focused on this physical life only.
Face it:

Carnal life is terminal. If all we are thinking about is this temporary physical life, there is reason for sadness and cynicism (1 Cor. 15:19).
Life can be hard. But when we factor in eternity and all the wonderful things God has awaiting us, this physical life becomes a stepping‐stone to something awesome!

This knowledge must permeate everything we do and think.

Notice that Paul said we are looking at things that cannot be seen. 

If they can’t be seen, then how can we look at them?

 It is obvious he was not speaking of seeing with our physical eyes.
 He was speaking of seeing by faith.

I believe God made humans with six senses. In addition to our five

physical senses that we are well acquainted with, I believe Adam and Eve walked by faith. Unsaved people have all degenerated since the Fall to where their sixth sense of faith is similar to their appendixes.

 But in the new birth, this faith is once again quickened, and as born‐again believers, we can walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7).

Life for Today Study Bible Notes

Note 20 at 2 Corinthians 4:18:

As stated in note 19 at 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul reduced the impact of his

afflictions by remembering that everything he suffered in this

life was “but for a moment.”

In this verse,

Paul made it very clear how he accomplished this. He focused his attention on the invisible truths of the spiritual realm, which were eternal, instead of the visible things of this physical world, which are all passing

away (Mark 13:31 and 2 Peter 3:10).

Our emotions and attitudes follow what we think on. When we focus 

our attention on our problems, they get magnified out of proportion.

When we neglect our problems and think on God’s provision, the answer

gets magnified and the problem shrinks. Whatever we think upon

is going to dominate us.

If we think on depressing things, we’ll be depressed. If we think on uplifting things, we’ll be uplifted. If we think

“By His stripes, we were healed”(1 Pet. 2:24), we’ll be healed (Rom. 8:6). If our thinking is sick, we’ll be sick. The battlefield is for our minds.

Note 21 at 2 Corinthians 4:18:

The word “temporal” -  means temporary. Any problem that we can see is

limited by time. It will pass. However, spiritual truths, including our union with Christ and all the benefits that entails, are forever. When problems begin to oppress us, we should tell them that they’re only

temporary and look to the future. 

Today’s English Version translates this verse this way,

“For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen,

but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for

a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.”