3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are on the road to destruction.
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who don’t have faith so they couldn’t see the light of the gospel that reveals Christ’s glory. Christ is the image of God.
5 We don’t preach about ourselves. Instead, we preach about Jesus Christ as Lord, and we describe ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.
6 God said that light should shine out of the darkness. He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn’t come from us.
8 We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed.
9 We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out.