2 Corinthians 4:5 (YLT)

Passage

for not ourselves do we preach, but Christ Jesus--Lord, and ourselves your servants because of Jesus;

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 4:3 and if also our good news is vailed, in those perishing it is vailed,

2 Corinthians 4:4 in whom the god of this age did blind the minds of the unbelieving, that there doth not shine forth to them the enlightening of the good news of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God;

2 Corinthians 4:5 for not ourselves do we preach, but Christ Jesus--Lord, and ourselves your servants because of Jesus;

2 Corinthians 4:6 because <FI>it is<Fi> God who said, Out of darkness light <FI>is<Fi> to shine, who did shine in our hearts, for the enlightening of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:7 And 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 "ourselves", "preach", "christ", "jesus--lord", and "servants". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ourselves" and "preach", 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 age..." into verse 6's "because FI it is Fi God who...", so "ourselves" and "preach" 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 "ourselves" and "preach" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.