In 2 Corinthians 4:12-15 Paul continues, “So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 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.”
Paul is saying the fact that he is able to endure great suffering provides an opportunity for his testimony of God’s sufficiency and trustworthiness. Just as God raised Jesus from the dead, and gives strength to Paul to endure difficulties, so He will preserve His people to present them complete to Himself for all eternity. This confidence creates an opportunity for overwhelming praise and thanksgiving to be given to God for His glory. This is all the more true as greater numbers of people witness God’s power in His people as they endure suffering and so should result in our thanksgiving for overwhelming circumstances.
