When the Body Fails but the Soul Grows Strong: An Eternal Perspective on Suffering (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

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There’s something uniquely difficult about physical suffering. Pain, weakness, and aging can leave us discouraged. Satan understood this well. After taking everything from Job—his possessions and children—he still believed he hadn’t touched the area that mattered most. “Stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face” (Job 2:4-5). And yet, Job didn’t curse God. The apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 that while “our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” This is behind an eternal perspective on suffering: even as our bodies grow weaker, our faith grows stronger.

Suffering takes many forms: mental, emotional, spiritual, but few trials compare to the slow decline of our bodies. Think about everything Satan did to Job. First, he took all his possessions—the oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, and servants. In the second attack, Satan took Job’s sons and daughters.

If you weren’t familiar with Job, what would you expect to be the most likely reason for Job to curse God? I would guess it would be the loss of his children. But after Job lost all his children and still hadn’t cursed God, Satan turned to Job’s health. Consider what he said to God:

Job 2:4 Satan [said to] the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”

Satan believed that if he could afflict Job’s body, he would curse God. Satan knows how difficult it is when we suffer physically. I think that’s why Paul says what he says:

2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

The ESV refers to the “outer self,” but other translations use terms such as “outward man” or “outer person.” It’s referring to our physical bodies, which are “wasting away.” The NKJV says they are “perishing,” and the NASB describes them as “decaying.” All of these capture how we feel as we age and our bodies break down.

When we endure physical suffering, or when our bodies begin to waste away, it is tempting, as the verse states, to lose heart. There are many kinds of suffering, but there is something unique about physical suffering and watching our bodies decline. We realize that each day, we worsen and move closer to our death. It can be discouraging to think, “I’m not getting any better. I feel worse today than I did yesterday. Everything is breaking down. Tomorrow I might feel worse than I do today.”

This is why the verse mentions losing heart. But, ironically, says the opposite of what we would expect: “We do not lose heart.” So, why don’t we lose heart even as our physical bodies are wasting away? Here are six reasons!

We Don’t Lose Heart Because Our Spirit Is Strengthened

In verse 16, notice the beautiful contrast Paul makes: while “our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” We don’t like that our physical bodies age and break down, but while they do, our spirits are renewed or strengthened day by day. It’s like Paul says: “What does it matter if our body wastes away as long as our spirit gets stronger?”

The Two Ways We Grow Spiritually

Why does our spirit grow while our body deteriorates? The wasting away of our bodies is a trial, and trials are one of the two primary ways that we grow spiritually.

I wish that we grew from being blessed, but while blessings are wonderful, there’s nothing in Scripture to say they help us grow. Instead, we grow from God’s Word:

John 17:17 Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them (or grow them) in the truth; your word is truth.”

Ephesians 5:26 states that Christ sanctifies and cleanses His bride, the church, through the washing of water with the word.

And the other way we grow is from trials:

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

And few trials are tougher than watching our bodies waste away. But while the outward is fading, the inward is being strengthened and renewed. I have seen this happen many times over the years. Beautiful saints approach graduation, and we might expect them to struggle with their faith and perhaps question God. However, it seems their faith actually grows stronger as their bodies weaken.

Take Advantage of Meetings with Senior Saints Finishing Well

There are meetings that people would never miss. If they received an invitation from the President or the Queen of England, they would move heaven and earth to attend. But I would say that when you have the chance to meet with a senior saint nearing the end of their life, that is a meeting you should never miss. In fact, I don’t think it’s too much to say that you probably will never have any meetings in your life that offer you as much as these do, or that you will remember as vividly.

I don’t know how many meetings I’ve had over the last 15 years here. I did the math yesterday, and if it’s five meetings per week, which is quite conservative, that’s 4000 meetings. I can’t remember 99% of those meetings, but I bet I can remember every sacred meeting I’ve had with saints approaching the finish line.

When Katie and I returned from visiting Charlie and Peggy yesterday, we walked in, and one of the kids asked, “How was it?” Katie replied, “I’ll never forget it.” That captures how you feel when you have the privilege of being with senior saints as they near the end of their race.

We Don’t Lose Heart Because Every Trial Is Only A “Light Momentary Affliction” In Light Of Eternity

2 Corinthians 4:17 For (or because) this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Katie and I really like Brian Regan. He has a joke about doctors. He says they can be very rude. They walk in and ask the first question, “What seems to be the problem?” as if there is nothing wrong, just as it seems to you. The question dismisses your suffering. This joke comes to mind when I read this verse. Paul says we are experiencing a “light momentary affliction.” It’s not that bad; no big deal.

Could you imagine encouraging someone with this? “Hey, I know you’re going through this trial, and it seems terrible and maybe even excruciating, but I want to let you know it is only a light, momentary affliction.” If we were teaching people to counsel others, we would tell them not to say this. But it’s not some insensitive, oblivious, ignorant counselor saying it. It’s God saying it through Paul!

So you say, “Well, maybe this is only about trials that are light and momentary versus ones that are terribly painful and difficult?” No, this is about trials that are terrible, painful, and difficult:

2 Corinthians 4:8 We are afflicted in every way (suffering every way you can imagine), but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for jesus’ sake (living on the verge of death), so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us (so close to death they say it is at work in them), but life in you.

Paul uses the word “we” because he’s also talking about his traveling companions. Being with Paul meant suffering greatly. So, how could Paul say they were experiencing light, momentary afflictions? He had an eternal perspective. It wasn’t so much about how he viewed his suffering as it was about how he saw his future. Let me say that again: It wasn’t so much about how he viewed his suffering but how he saw his future.

He knew that someday all his suffering would end, and he would enjoy eternity, and this belief helped him see every trial as a light, momentary affliction. And he wants us to adopt this eternal perspective as well. Notice the repetition of the word “eternal”:

2 Corinthians 4:17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Without an eternal, heavenly perspective, all we see is an earthly, temporary one, so we view only the trials that are present. This makes every trial feel heavy and difficult, rather than light and fleeting. However, with an eternal perspective, even the worst trials become light and temporary afflictions. That may sound hard to believe, especially when you’re in the middle of a tough trial, but it’s true. And if there’s one specific trial that can give us an eternal outlook, it’s the wasting away of our bodies. We are constantly reminded of our own mortality and the fleeting nature of time. Eternity feels closer.

We Don’t Lose Heart Because Of Our Heavenly Blessings

I hated running. I’ve always struggled with endurance. I’ve heard about people who supposedly experience a runner’s high. I’ve never felt that. I wonder if it’s some big joke among runners. They try to convince others to run, acting like there’s some supposed joy that overtakes you when you’re exhausted and about to collapse.

But even among those who pretend to enjoy running, they do one thing to lessen their suffering: they think about when they get to stop. In other words, they keep the finish line in mind. That is the ultimate reward.

John MacArthur said, “Endurance is based on one’s ability to look beyond the physical to the spiritual, beyond the present to the future, and beyond the visible to the invisible. Believers must look past what is temporary and perishing, such as our bodies and even this whole world, to what is eternal.” In other words, we must have an eternal outlook. That’s what lets trials feel light and momentary.

The light, momentary afflictions are “preparing for us an eternal weight of glory that is beyond all comparison.” “Eternal weight of glory” refers to the future blessings and rewards awaiting us in the next life. And experiencing trials increases these blessings and rewards. When we consider the blessings and rewards awaiting us, two extraordinary things happen: First, our suffering feels smaller, lighter, and momentary. Second, we see trials working for us versus against us. It’s similar to what Paul said in Romans 8:18:

Romans 8:18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

In other words, the future glory far outweighs any present suffering. It’s all about proportion. The glory is much greater than the suffering. He made the same point in 2 Corinthians 4:17: Trials seemed light to Paul because he contrasted them with the glory that is “beyond all comparison,” and they seem momentary because he contrasted them with eternity. And if we also weigh the present against the future, our trials can look light and momentary.

We Don’t Lose Heart If We Look Forward To Our Heavenly Home

When Paul says “things that are seen,” he’s referring to the physical world, which is, as he also says, transient, or temporal. When Paul says “the things that are unseen,” he’s referring to the spiritual world, which is, as he says, eternal. So, he contrasts the physical and temporal world we live in with the spiritual and eternal world we will go to in the next life.

A.W. Tozer said the spiritual world is the only real world. Why would he say that? This world seems real because we live in it, but it’s destined to pass away. The spiritual world is the real world because it’s eternal. And regarding the spiritual world, notice an interesting paradox in these verses: Paul says we look “not to the things that are seen,” but to “the things that are unseen.” This doesn’t make sense. You can’t look at unseen things. They are unseen. So how do we see unseen things? By faith!

Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

In other words, faith is seeing things that are unseen. This is what the great men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 did: they looked forward to their future home, which was unseen.

Lot and Abraham: Two Men Looking for Cities

Abraham and Lot were traveling together. The land couldn’t support both of their growing households and flocks, which began to lead to conflict between their herdsmen, so:

Genesis 13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

You couldn’t have a more worldly and earthly view than Lot. He was willing to move into the wickedest city in history because he was a carnal man who gave no thought to the spiritual. Abraham, on the other hand, was a spiritual man who looked for the unseen. We can’t tell from Genesis 13, but he was looking for a city too:

Hebrews 11:10 [Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

There is no mention of Abraham lifting his eyes to look for the city he wished to settle in with his family, because the town he longed for couldn’t be seen with human eyes. He looked for it in faith. He was seeking the city that wouldn’t be destroyed by sulfur from heaven.

Unfortunately, some people associate strong faith with the supernatural. If you have deep faith, you might believe you can heal people or perform miracles. But in Hebrews 11, there’s no mention of the heroes calling down fire from heaven, healing diseases, or raising the dead. Instead, many inspiring individuals are listed, and one thing they all share: a longing for their heavenly home over their earthly one.

If we want to resemble the heroes of faith, it’s not about performing miracles, but about looking forward to heaven. And there is almost nothing in this life that encourages us to do so more than our bodies wasting away. It reminds us that our bodies are temporary and this life is not our true home. It encourages us to focus on the next life rather than this one. It stirs a strong desire for our glorified bodies that will no longer suffer from aches, pains, disabilities, or cancer.

Consider this beautiful email someone sent me:

“It is hard at times to realize I can’t do [certain things]. This body just can’t/won’t work like it used to. [We should] look for the blessings and give thanks to God for those blessings. It is a good reminder this body is just a shell that I live in here on earth and some day I will have a new body and a new home to praise my Savior. Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

We Don’t Lose Heart Because We’ll Be Raised With Christ

The first word of verse 16 in the ESV reads “so,” but most other translations, such as the NKJV, NIV, and NASB, read “therefore”:

2 Corinthians 4:16 So (or therefore) we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

I started with this verse, but the words ‘so’ or ‘therefore’ encourage us to look backward. Paul says we don’t lose heart because of what he wrote previously. So what did he write earlier?

2 Corinthians 4:14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

This truth of our resurrection puts everything into perspective—every trial, difficulty, and struggle.

Losses Throughout Our Lives, but Always Having Our Bodies, Right?

We lose things throughout our lives: jobs, parents, siblings, friends, and sometimes children. But there’s something we always have, and that is our bodies. So, when our bodies deteriorate, it feels like an attack on what’s most important to us because our bodies have always cared for us. However, eventually, we can no longer rely on them.

I hope this truth encourages you, and I also want to remind myself of it as I grow older and my body declines: God is taking away something we’ve trusted in for much of our lives because He wants to be our true security. Our security should not be rooted in our physical bodies but in what Christ has done for us. When we place our security elsewhere, it’s a blessing when God helps us realize that our true security is in Him. I know this is something I struggle with as well.

And notice it says “with Jesus.” It doesn’t just say that the Father will raise us like He raised Jesus, although that is true and wonderful. It says He will raise us with Jesus and bring us into His presence. This is the beautiful hope of heaven. We have a glorious future with Christ, and this wonderful truth makes any suffering light and temporary.

We Don’t Lose Heart If We Praise God During Trials

Let me briefly take you back to the beginning, when I discussed Job. Why didn’t he curse God? The answer is his faith, but did he do anything? Was there anything practical that bolstered him up during that excruciating time? I think there was. After Job lost everything, including all of his children, here’s how he responded:

Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.

I think part of the reason Job was able to withstand everything, including the wasting away of his body, was his response: worshiping and praising God. Many of you have been blessed to see that beautiful video of Peggy responding the same way. When I asked Cristina if I could share the video in the sermon, she said, “I double checked with her and she said that would be fine. I’m sorry her hair wasn’t fixed yet when that video was taken. But she is more focused on eternal things these days. 😂🙌.”

How perfect is that? She has the eternal perspective we’re discussing. When Katie and I were talking about the video, she said, “Peggy’s words couldn’t be truer. She couldn’t sing, ‘it is well with my body,’ but she could sing, ‘it is well with my soul.’” I believe it is Peggy’s great faith and her choice to worship God after receiving the news that has allowed her to serve as such a great example for all of us. Job and Peggy were fulfilling a scriptural theme. There are many verses I could give you, but here are two:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances (including when our bodies are wasting away); for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Ephesians 5:20 [Give] thanks always and for everything (including our bodies wasting away) to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Why do you think God asks us to give thanks no matter what we’re experiencing? Part of it is about God: He is good and deserves our praise and thanks, regardless of what we’re going through. But it’s also for our own benefit. When we give thanks, we feel better, develop eternal perspectives, and lift our eyes off ourselves and focus on God.

The Eternal Perspective on Suffering

When our bodies ache, and our strength fades, we’re told not to lose heart. Our outer self may be wasting away, but God is renewing our inner self day by day. Our pain might feel heavy now, but compared with eternity, it is a light, momentary affliction.

Our trials are not meaningless: they are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. So, we should fix our gaze not on what is seen and passing, but on what is unseen and eternal, and anchor our hope in this: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14).