“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.”
2nd Corinthians 4:6-7

Every born-again person has experienced that light shining in the darkness that was in them, and for most it was a dramatic transformation from darkness to light as Christ came into the heart and changed it.

But we carry this precious treasure “in earthern vessels,” as we walk in a fallen human nature. A precious vessel can be made of gold, or silver, or pewter, but Scripture tells us that we are carrying this most precious treasure in vessels of clay. Our spirit has been transformed, but still we walk in our earthern, fallen human nature. We still have warts. We still have baggage. Indeed, the apostle Paul says:

“For we know that the law is spiritual,
but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For what I am doing, I do not understand.
For what I will to do, that I do not practice,
but what I hate, that I do.”
Romans 7:14-15

How many times have you heard someone criticize a believer and add, “and he’s supposed to be a Christian!” It’s a sarcastic insult hurled at someone who IS a Christian, but still lives in an earthern vessel, and still has warts. The world expects us to be different, to be holy, and holy we are in Christ …but although we aspire to Christ-likeness, we are still subject to our fallen human nature.

But even so, God uses the believer IN SPITE OF his warts and baggage, “that the excellence of the power may be of God and NOT of us.”

The effects the preaching of the Gospel has is a spiritual and powerful effect that can transform a person and bring him out of darkness into light. But that power is not of the person speaking it, that power is of God himself. And every believer knows it because every believer has tried to bring others to the transforming new birth, without success. Therefore when it is God who opens the door and sets up a circumstance in which the message will be successful, then it is obvious that it is the power of God and not that of the messenger, and praise and thanksgiving goes up to the God who brought it about.

So what do we do? Do we just wait on God and keep silent in the meantime? No, as the Scripture says:

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.
Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
2nd Timothy 4:2

We are commanded to preach the Gospel and though we are reminded daily of our fallen human nature, we press on because it is God at work reaching out to people when and where he chooses. And we have this confidence that as we obey the Word of God, we will find at the end that he did great and mighty things through us.

“Those who sow in tears
shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
bearing seed for sowing,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.”
Psalm 126:5-6

Here’s a wonderful, a delightful, example of that:

Frank Jenner’s Story