2 Corinthians 4:5 (KJV)

Passage

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "preach", "ourselves", "christ", "jesus", "lord", and "servants". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "preach" and "ourselves", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "In whom the god of this world..." into verse 6's "For God who commanded the light to...", so "preach" and "ourselves" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "preach" and "ourselves" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.