2 Corinthians 4 15

2 Corinthians 4:15 kjv

For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:15 nkjv

For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:15 niv

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:15 esv

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:15 nlt

All of this is for your benefit. And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

2 Corinthians 4 verses

2 Corinthians 4 15 Meaning

The suffering and sacrificial service of Paul and other apostles are undertaken for the spiritual benefit and growth of the Corinthian believers and, by extension, all who come to faith. As God's saving grace extends through this ministry to more individuals, their collective response of gratitude to God multiplies. This expanded thanksgiving ultimately redounds to the honor and praise of God, serving as the ultimate purpose for the apostolic endeavors.

2 Corinthians 4 15 Context

This verse is situated in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, where Paul articulates the nature of his apostolic ministry and the paradox of suffering in service to the gospel. He contrasts his transparent and truthful ministry with the deceitful practices of false apostles. He describes the apostles as "earthen vessels" or "jars of clay" (v. 7), bearing the surpassing power of God through their weakness, suffering, and mortality (v. 8-12). His willingness to face "death" daily is so that "life" might work in the believers (v. 12). Verse 15 builds directly on this, explaining the ultimate purpose and result of these hardships and the apostles' entire self-sacrificial ministry: it is all ultimately for the Corinthian church's benefit, intended to extend God's grace and multiply their thanksgiving, bringing glory to God. It highlights the divine wisdom behind his often painful experiences.

2 Corinthians 4 15 Word analysis

• For (γάρ, gar): A conjunction connecting this verse as an explanation or rationale for the preceding statements (e.g., v.14 about resurrection, and generally his endurance of suffering in ministry). It explains why the apostles persevere despite hardship.
• all things (πάντα, panta): This is a comprehensive term. It refers to all the apostle's sufferings, toils, self-sacrifice, and ministerial efforts mentioned in chapter 4, particularly his afflictions (v.8-9), carrying around the death of Jesus (v.10), and being delivered to death for Jesus’ sake (v.11).
• are for your sake (δι’ ὑμᾶς, di’ hymas): Signifies the purpose or beneficiary. Paul's ministry and trials are not random or self-serving but intentionally for the benefit of the Corinthians. It underscores the pastoral and altruistic heart of Paul, echoing Christ's self-giving love.
• so that (ἵνα, hina): A conjunction introducing a purpose clause. What follows is the intended outcome or ultimate goal.
• as grace extends (ἡ χάρις πλεονάσασα, hē charis pleonasasa):
  • grace (χάρις, charis): Refers to God's unmerited favor, specifically His saving and empowering favor that works in believers, leading to their salvation, spiritual growth, and the ability to persevere. It's the divine enabling power.
  • extends (πλεονάσασα, pleonasasa): An aorist participle, meaning "having abounded," "increased," or "multiplied." It implies an expansive, overflowing growth in both the depth of grace in individual lives and its scope as it reaches more people.
• to more and more people (διὰ τῶν πλειόνων, dia tōn pleionōn): Literally "through the more" or "through the many." This phrase describes the instrument or means by which grace is multiplied – namely, through the increasing number of believers who receive it, catalyzed by the apostolic ministry.
• it may increase thanksgiving (τὴν εὐχαριστίαν περισσεύσῃ, tēn eucharistian perisseusē):
  • thanksgiving (εὐχαριστία, eucharistia): The appropriate response of gratitude, praise, and adoration offered to God for His saving work and gracious provisions. It's the natural and divinely intended human response to charis.
  • increase (περισσεύσῃ, perisseusē): A subjunctive verb indicating the intended result of the grace extending. It means "to abound," "to overflow," "to become superabundant." The spread of grace is meant to cause an overflow of thankfulness.
• to the glory of God (εἰς δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, eis doxan tou Theou): The ultimate, final goal. "Glory" (doxa) refers to God's intrinsic honor, majesty, and reputation. Human thanksgiving, a natural outflow of God's grace, serves to acknowledge and magnify this divine glory. This places God's honor as the supreme aim of all things.

Word Group Analysis:

• "For all things are for your sake": This phrase encapsulates Paul's ministerial altruism and self-understanding. His entire life and ministry, with its immense personal cost, is entirely dedicated to the spiritual well-being and benefit of the congregation. It's a statement of vocational purpose.
• "so that as grace extends...it may increase thanksgiving": This highlights a divine-human chain reaction. God's grace, propagated through the apostolic work, creates an expanding community of thankful believers. The multiplication of grace leads directly to the multiplication of gratitude.
• "to more and more people...to the glory of God": This clarifies both the scope and the ultimate aim. Grace is not static but dynamic, spreading to an increasing number of individuals, whose resulting overflowing gratitude directs attention, praise, and honor back to God. God's glory is the telos, the final destination and purpose of all the intermediate processes.

2 Corinthians 4 15 Bonus section

The idea that suffering works for the good of others and the glory of God is a recurring motif in Paul's theology and his defense of his ministry. This particular verse reflects a profound teleological perspective: everything has an ultimate purpose, and for Paul, that purpose is always God's glory. The journey of suffering-grace-thanksgiving is not merely incidental but a deliberate design by God to magnify Himself. This understanding enables believers to reframe personal trials, recognizing that their experiences, even painful ones, can serve as channels for grace that expands the circle of those who worship God, thus bringing Him glory. This connects the often hidden reality of ministerial suffering with the visible result of transformed lives and worship, demonstrating the 'earthen vessels' carry a treasure whose purpose is cosmic – the full expression of God's renown.

2 Corinthians 4 15 Commentary

Verse 2 Corinthians 4:15 masterfully encapsulates Paul's understanding of Christian ministry, linking apostolic suffering, divine grace, human response, and God's ultimate glory in a concise chain. The suffering endured by Paul and his fellow ministers is not in vain, nor is it a sign of divine displeasure; rather, it is purposefully for the believers, a divinely ordained mechanism for the expansion of God's saving grace. As grace spreads, both in the hearts of more individuals and deepening in current believers, it naturally elicits an overflowing abundance of thanksgiving. This thankfulness isn't just an emotional reaction but an act of worship that brings honor, recognition, and praise back to God Himself, establishing His glory as the supreme purpose and culminating point of all evangelical and pastoral effort. It means the perceived 'weakness' and 'death' in Paul's life serve to bring about spiritual 'life' and praise, amplifying God's own majesty. This perspective sustains Paul through intense tribulation and serves as a model for all ministry – that it ultimately aims at the enlargement of God's kingdom and the magnification of His name through the grateful response of His people.