Glory of God in Earthen Vessels
Cracked Pots, Infinite Glory
SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NKJV - For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
OBSERVATION:
Often, God is seen in the wrong context. Even men teach that God is just waiting for you and me to mess up so He can punish us. Yet this very premise is the opposite of what the Bible teaches.
Paul says in verse six that “God who created light out of darkness,” the creator of all things, including light, is the one who has revealed or shone Jesus in our hearts. This light that has shone in the heart of man, revealing Jesus, has also revealed the “glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.”
All this is to say that God had a plan. He is indeed NOT angry with us, nor is He waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. If that were the case, NONE would be worthy. Those who want to preach that God is an angry God have missed what Paul is saying in these verses.
Jesus was the light, the plan of God in flesh, to fulfill what God had planned.
John 1:3-5 NKJV - All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:14 NKJV - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus was THE SPOKEN WORD of God in the Flesh. He was the image of God Himself. John said He was “full of grace and truth.”
If Jesus came in the exact image of God, how can anyone preach that God is angry with humanity and waiting for humanity to mess up so God can destroy them? That is contrary to grace and truth.
Since Jesus came to be the final payment for our sins, this proves that God is no longer waiting for us to mess up, because Jesus has atoned for our sins, past, present, and future. The only people who will face God’s wrath and judgment are those who reject the gift of grace from Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s plan.
APPLICATION:
To God be the glory! We have seen this light, and it shines in our hearts. Not only in our hearts, but Paul says, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
God has chosen to place this treasure of the gospel in man. Despite all his efforts to be worthy, man remains an earthen vessel. God knows man’s heart. He often reminds us of this in His Word.
Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV - “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NKJV - For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
OBSERVATION:
Often, God is seen in the wrong context. Even men teach that God is just waiting for you and me to mess up so He can punish us. Yet this very premise is the opposite of what the Bible teaches.
Paul says in verse six that “God who created light out of darkness,” the creator of all things, including light, is the one who has revealed or shone Jesus in our hearts. This light that has shone in the heart of man, revealing Jesus, has also revealed the “glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.”
All this is to say that God had a plan. He is indeed NOT angry with us, nor is He waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. If that were the case, NONE would be worthy. Those who want to preach that God is an angry God have missed what Paul is saying in these verses.
Jesus was the light, the plan of God in flesh, to fulfill what God had planned.
John 1:3-5 NKJV - All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:14 NKJV - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus was THE SPOKEN WORD of God in the Flesh. He was the image of God Himself. John said He was “full of grace and truth.”
If Jesus came in the exact image of God, how can anyone preach that God is angry with humanity and waiting for humanity to mess up so God can destroy them? That is contrary to grace and truth.
Since Jesus came to be the final payment for our sins, this proves that God is no longer waiting for us to mess up, because Jesus has atoned for our sins, past, present, and future. The only people who will face God’s wrath and judgment are those who reject the gift of grace from Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s plan.
APPLICATION:
To God be the glory! We have seen this light, and it shines in our hearts. Not only in our hearts, but Paul says, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
God has chosen to place this treasure of the gospel in man. Despite all his efforts to be worthy, man remains an earthen vessel. God knows man’s heart. He often reminds us of this in His Word.
Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV - “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Who is worthy to be a “container” for God’s light and glory? The smartest person isn’t smart enough, the purest person isn’t pure enough, the most spiritual person isn’t spiritual enough, and the most talented person isn’t talented enough. We are all just clay pots holding an unspeakably great treasure… God chose to put His light and glory in the everyday dishes, not in the fine China.
Why did God choose risky, earthen vessels instead of safe, heavenly ones? Because “perfect” vessels are safe but bring glory to themselves. Earthen vessels are risky but can bring profound glory to God. – David Guzik.
Why did God choose risky, earthen vessels instead of safe, heavenly ones? Because “perfect” vessels are safe but bring glory to themselves. Earthen vessels are risky but can bring profound glory to God. – David Guzik.
God is not angry with you. On the contrary, (John 3:16-17 NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
God's very nature is SALVATION, not JUDGMENT.
Walk in the light of Jesus today. Be that earthen vessel that brings honor and glory to God the Father, who showed His unfailing love to you and me through Jesus Christ.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Father, for Your tremendous love. Thank you for the forgiveness I have received through Jesus. Thank you that You are not angry but full of grace and truth. None of us is worthy, but You are. Because You chose to save rather than condemn, we can one day stand before You.
God's very nature is SALVATION, not JUDGMENT.
Walk in the light of Jesus today. Be that earthen vessel that brings honor and glory to God the Father, who showed His unfailing love to you and me through Jesus Christ.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Father, for Your tremendous love. Thank you for the forgiveness I have received through Jesus. Thank you that You are not angry but full of grace and truth. None of us is worthy, but You are. Because You chose to save rather than condemn, we can one day stand before You.
God doesn't place His treasure in perfect vessels — He places it in broken, ordinary ones so that everyone can see the glory belongs to Him alone.
Posted in 08 - 2 Corinthians
Recent
Archive
2026
January
Words Spoken at the Right TimeHe Will SaveShining as the StarSOAPRepentance: It’s a Good ThingDawning of a New LifePerfect Not PerfectionThe Cure for AnxietyThe Way We Think About and Treat OthersRight AwayTax Collectors and SinnersChoosing Christ Above AllThe Yoke of LearningHope In His NameWhere Did He Learn ThisImmediatelyFrom the HeartOn This RockMustard Seed FaithTrue HumilityMission ImpossibleMoved with Compassion
February
Change Your MindInvitationDrop the MaskGood News ProclaimedDid or Did NotYour Accent Gives You AwayEli, Eli, Lama SabachthaniThe EndIf You Are WillingSins Are ForgivenCrazy!Silence! Be Still!Saw and Heard – Jesus Something BlessedEphphathaRight PerspectiveSalt and PeaceServe Not ServedRemoving DifficultiesAbundance vs Poverty
March
Never FailAnointing, Betrayal, and DenialCarry Jesus’s CrossRolling StonesGod Will Never FailSalvation In Three StoriesSlaves and SandalsThe Lord's Favor Has ComeCalling All SinnersActing As ChildrenDo You See This WomanPreaching and Announcing the Good NewsWhen We Can’tGo and Do the SameHow You Should PraySet on FireOne More ChanceTake the Lowest PlaceNotoriously Lost, But Now FoundHow Great a ChasmFaith to ForgivePray and Never Give Up
April
The Way to PeaceCornerstoneGiven EverythingThat’s Enough EntitledEarly on a Sunday MorningFull of Grace and TruthDo Whatever He Tells YouJoy CompleteBelieve What Jesus SaidWhen Traditions Get In The WayBelieve and KnowKnow the WordDisciples – Know the Word, Truth, and FreedomI’m The OneEternal Life & Eternal SecurityLoose Him, and Let Him GoLifted UpLast WordsBelieveChristlike LoveSorrow To Joy