Momentary, Light Affliction

December 6th, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 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.

Like all humans, Paul was getting older. His earthen vessel was not only decaying (cf. Eccl 12:1-7), the persecutions he endured regularly as he carried the dying of Jesus with him daily were burning his candle at both ends, as it were. All of these, however, Paul considered “momentary, light affliction” that though they wore his body out were actually renewing his inner man—his eternal soul—day by day. He would later write to the Roman church, saying, We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). In short, Paul was no coward in the face of life’s trials, never losing heart, for he saw past what was temporary and placed his hope on the incredible, eternal weight of glory that is beyond all comparison and which outweighs all earthly afflictions (cf. Rom 8:18; 2 Thess 1:5). Though God was destroying him outwardly, He was renewing him inwardly and accomplishing His eternal purpose in Paul’s life.

Life is full of trials and sufferings, far greater for some than for others. Paul’s sufferings seem to have been monumentally severe and ongoing, many of them described in 2 Corinthians. The fact that he calls them “light” is astonishing, for most people who read about his afflictions would classify them as dreadfully heavy. And that is why Paul should be admired, for his attitude in the midst of suffering speaks so loudly. He sought no drugs, no psychiatrist, no vacation, and he did not even have a family to fulfill him. He literally wore himself out carrying Christ’s death! But he was only able to do this through his understanding of what is “momentary” and what is “eternal.” Knowing the eternal God, Jesus Christ, Paul could endure anything with peace.

Now if Paul stared at himself in a mirror each day, being self-consumed, he would probably have agreed with his detractors who saw no glory in him. But that is the point. Paul refused to look upon the things that could be seen and opted instead to look beyond them to that which cannot be seen—eternal things which are not of this world. In other words, Paul was not seduced with looks, wealth, education, or being on the cutting edge of society’s whims. His detractors were, and that is why they called his apostolicity into question, for they only looked at Paul’s outer shell—his earthen vessel. Their mundane eyes and depraved minds were unable to see Paul for who he truly was since their faithless eyes were still blinded by the god of this world (4:3-4).

Everything that can be seen by the human eye is transient—fleeting and passing away, including the eye itself that sees and covets such things. To be taken by them is to be duped by folly. A Christian of Paul’s ilk, however, is able to get through the most difficult of times based upon a life that walks by faith and not by sight (5:7); a life that sees the surface impressions for what they really are: transient, temporary highs that provide no lasting peace and no eternal life.

Food for Thought

Life is filled with transient beauty, all of which are creations and gifts from God. Yet none of these were designed by God to give us hope or grant us peace. Our health will deteriorate, people we love will die, and bad things will indeed happen to us and those we love. We live in a fallen world, and we cannot escape suffering and death, for that is the result of sin. Yet God has given us hope in Jesus Christ. And when we enter His glory we will wonder why we ever groaned during our trials. Let us say today, as we will certainly say then, that even if our trials were to be a thousand-fold worse, it only amounts to a “momentary, light affliction.”