‘By glory and dishonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.'
The life of the godly man is a life of contrasts. On the one hand glory, glory in God's working, glory in His goodness, glory in His truth, and on the other dishonour, the mockery and contempt of the world, the being treated as dirt for His sake (1 Corinthians 4:13). And it must be expected, for those whom God honours, the world will despise. And he goes on to show that it is a life where the eyes must be set firmly on what is not seen, a life which does not seek or glory in the world, but is lived in the heavenlies (compare 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:1; 1 John 2:15). He will then shortly bring out that this is in direct contrast with that of many of the Corinthians.
‘By evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true.' On the one hand the godly man will be attacked and spoken against and treated as a deceiver. Every possible weapon will be used to destroy his reputation. And on the other there are those who will speak well of him (then let him especially beware of himself), and see him as a man of truth. Both attitudes towards Paul were found among the Corinthians.
This again all arises because some look at what is seen, and some at what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). We may see here reflected the afflictions and encouragement of 2 Corinthians 1:4-9. For those who would serve Christ experience both, the one to refine and purify, the other to maintain and strengthen.
‘As unknown, and yet well known.' The man of God may be irrelevant to the world, and to those who see themselves as superior, being seen as a nobody, an ‘unknown', and yet may have good standing among, and be honoured by, God's people. (Some of the Corinthians may have been saying how insignificant Paul was in men's eyes and their own).
‘As dying, and behold, we live.' He may here be referring to being physically and mentally disorienated and ill-treated and often left for dead, a stark contrast to the eternal life within him, but more likely the thought is of his dying to the world, its approval, aims and attractions, with the contrasting blessing referring to the enjoyment of eternal life and the joy of living for Christ and His aims, thus having true life which is life indeed (compare 2 Corinthians 5:14). (The literal dying in fact goes together with the spiritual dying. He faces such suffering precisely because he has died to the world),
‘As chastened, and not killed.' He may be being chastened by tribulation, which he knows will produce godly effects within (Romans 5:2-5), but he is confident that the chastening is to do him good. He has not been killed as a result of God's judgment on him (compare 1 Corinthians 11:30-32). Thus he knows that his chastening will be for his ultimate benefit, and is not finally judgmental. God's intentions are good in all that happens to him, and there will be a limit on what His own must endure. Compare here Psalms 118:17-18 which he might well have had in mind.
(Note. If this is to be seen as a contrast like the other pairings, he is contrasting chastening, which was an act of God's love, as against being killed as an act of deserved judgment. He is not saying that those who were martyred were to be seen as having been judged. In their case the death itself would be seen as a triumph and a gateway to glory, not a judgment).
‘As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.' He may be sorrowful over his afflictions, and over his sins, and over the sufferings of his own people (Romans 9:2-3), and over the lack of spirituality and growth in the churches, and yet he is constantly filled with rejoicing over all God is doing for him and through him, and for the churches, and because of evidences of the many who do prosper spiritually, and because his mind is set on things above, and especially because it is set on Christ Himself.
‘As poor, yet making many rich.' He may have little of this world's goods, or consider himself as poor in spiritual virtues (even as ‘the chief of sinners'), but what does that matter if he is making many ‘rich' by his ministry of the word of God, and by the goodness and generosity of his life and self-giving. That is what counts with him. He is preparing others to enjoy spiritual riches.
‘As having nothing, and yet possessing all things.' He may in fact be bereft of everything, with no possessions in this world, and yet he knows that in Christ he possesses all things (1 Corinthians 3:22), and will possess them (Hebrews 11:6; Hebrews 11:10; Hebrews 11:26; Matthew 19:29). He lives in enjoyment of God's inheritance which He has given to His own (Colossians 1:12; Ephesians 1:14; Ephesians 2:7). And that is what determines the course of his life.
So does Paul make clear the ups and downs of his life as he seeks faithfully to carry out his ministry, and on what his mind is finally set. This is what makes up his life. And they have only to consider for themselves whether a man who lives like this is genuine, or is mainly out to deceive, or is simply play-acting. All this is a reminder for us that for us too the Christian life can be a life of contrasts. It will not be all plain sailing. All those who would serve Christ must endure the downside as well as enjoy the fullness of blessing, and it is by how we respond that men will judge us.
But his final stress on having the mind set on things above now leads on to a warning to the Corinthian that they too ensure that they live in the same way. This is the kind of earthly things that he is taken up with, but he fears that they are too taken up with earthly things of another kind and will miss out on God's best, or even miss out altogether (2 Corinthians 6:1).