Title: Liberation from the three major discouragements
Contents
1. Disappointment from loss of possessions (16)
1) Paul did not become discouraged by the depravity of the outward man. I was not discouraged by the loss.
Here, the outer man refers to the earthen vessel (7), the body (10), the mortal body (11), and the old man (Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22). In other words, human beings are destined to die as creatures. It refers to the body that lives in this world. The body is destined to decay. The term "decaying" in the dictionary term means "to rot and to be worn out. To rot and to rot. Or to be thoroughly corrupted. To destroy. To rot completely." "Deadness" is a "woeful feeling" that can only be felt by the generation who feel that they are getting old. The body that was healthy and resilient, the body that was moist and so beautiful is getting wrinkled. No matter how good cosmetics you buy and apply, you can't help it even if you massage cucumbers and take medicines that are good for your body. You can't help but be discouraged when the energy that supports you is pushed like an ebb. When you feel that death is slowly approaching you like a tide, you can't help but be discouraged that it's over. But Paul was not discouraged. Why? Where was that power? Where do you find your way out of the discouragement that comes with loss? It's an inner person. Those who do not believe in Jesus are an inner man who cannot be understood at all.
2) Paul was convinced that his inner man was being renewed day by day, and he did not lose heart.
The inner man is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and a new man (Colossians 3:10) refers to those who are born again by faith. Eschatologically, it refers to a person belonging to the next generation. New here means "to be renewed. To be born again." The outer man wears out and weakens due to constant suffering and toil, but the inner man is renewed day by day, just like a seed sprouts from within as a seed rots. It means that the knowledge of God expands and matures as a person, reaching the measure of the mature person of Christ.
3) We must not become discouraged by the sense of loss of the outer man, but become believers who have hope through the renewal of the inner man.
2. Disappointment as an obstacle to achieving goals (17)
One of the reasons people become discouraged is to work hard to achieve something.