2 Corinthians 4:2

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

We have renounced ... This does not refer to any recent renunciation on Paul's part, but to the fundamental renunciation of all the works of the devil at the time of his conversion to Christ. As Farrar put it: "We renounced them once and forever at our baptism."[6]

Hidden things ... craftiness ... deceitfully ... Rather than viewing this as Paul's defense of himself from criticism imputing such devices to him by his enemies, it is preferable, as Kelcy did, to see this as Paul's allusion "to such underhanded methods of certain false teachers at Corinth."[7] This, therefore, is not Paul's defense of himself, as widely supposed, but his charges against them! Allo supported this view thus:

Plainly Paul has someone in view - and in such a manner that he will not fail later on to disclose who it is. It is in 2 Corinthians 10 to 2 Corinthians 13 that this will be done. These rumblings of polemic, still vague and muffled, certainly have the air of preparing the way for a decisive explanation rather than of recalling one which has already been given.[8]

The fashionable explanation of much of the Corinthian letters as Paul's attempts to defend himself against slanders is lacking in both discernment and logic. Paul simply was not the kind of a man who was always on the defensive. Before he has finished this letter, he will take the offensive in such a manner as to demonstrate the fundamentally offensive and aggressive nature of his life and preaching.

Craftiness ... refers to tricky and deceitful devices which no faithful preacher of the word of God may use.

Handling deceitfully ... No greater sin exists than that of perverting and polluting the word of God, whether by toning down its requirements, or adulterating it with purely secular teachings. Such a corruption of the word of God, according to Lenski, is "the most dastardly of all the dastardly deeds done in the world."[9]

Manifestation of the truth ... This does not mean merely that Paul spoke the truth, which of course he did; but the reference is to that whole system of truth brought in Christianity. As Hillyer said, "TRUTH is almost a technical term for CHRIST or GOSPEL."[10]

To every man's conscience ... Paul did not mean by this that everybody believed him, but that his life and teachings were of such a character that every man SHOULD HAVE believed him. The next verse is somewhat of an implied diatribe, replying to the unstated question, "Then why have not all believed?"

Before leaving this verse, the comment of Tasker should be noted:

Although the intellects of men and women may be attracted by the sophistries and subtleties of "the essayist in the pulpit" it is the plain unadulterated gospel that alone strikes home to man's conscience. "Repent and believe the gospel" must ever be the burden of one who is preaching IN THE SIGHT OF GOD.[11]

[6] F. W. Farrar, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), Vol. 19,2Cor., p. 89.

[7] Raymond C. Kelcy, Second Corinthians (Austin, Texas: R. B. Sweet Company, 1967), p. 28.

[8] Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 122.

[9] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians (Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1937), p. 955.

[10] Norman Hillyer, The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 1079.

[11] R V. G. Tasker, The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958), p. 70.