2 Corinthians 4:2 (WEB)

Passage

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we don’t faint.

2 Corinthians 4:2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

2 Corinthians 4:3 Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who are dying;

2 Corinthians 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "renounced", "hidden", "things", "shame", "walking", "craftiness", "handling", 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 seeing we have this ministry even..." into verse 3's "Even if our Good News 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.