2 Corinthians 4:2 (LSB)

Passage

but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart,

2 Corinthians 4:2 but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

2 Corinthians 4:4 in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "renounced", "hidden", "things", "shame", "walking", "craftiness", "adulterating", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "renounced" and "hidden", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Therefore since we have this ministry as..." into verse 3's "And even if our gospel is veiled...", so "renounced" and "hidden" 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 "renounced" and "hidden" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.