We now get back to our context in Corinthians. What was the issue Paul was addressing? We study this at different times through this book. In brief, the problem was the super apostles (false apostles) and the false spirituality in the church. They taught that the law makes us spiritual and gives life. Some taught this as a form of Gnosticism, meaning the law gives a special spirituality, which in turn gives us a special knowledge (gnosis), raising us to a higher level of “salvation”.
This is the matter Paul is addressing in 2nd Corinthians 3 and 4. Paul countered that law leads to death and that grace leads to liberty (life and freedom from sin). They went to the law for spirituality, but instead it worked blindness and death because of the frailty and sin of man. It was the law that blinded the Corinthians, least they should see the acceptance of Christ. So, is Paul saying that law is the god of this world?
We now have another look at the term god of this world. What is the god of this world? Well, it is what the world worships. It is what the world makes its god. What is the world’s god? If we look at animism and witchcraft we will say that it is Satan. The world that does not believe the gospel worships Satan.
Is human worship that simple? Certainly we are speaking here of idolatry. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” is the first commandment. Idolatry is the default setting of the heart of all fallen mankind. But what is the main form of idolatry? It uses images and bows down to them and says “you are my god”. But these images somehow feed the ego of man.
They support the rebellion of the ego. So the pagan in the land of Canaan was not really loyal to his god, but sought what he could get from it for his own goals. There is no real worship of the god. It is self that is worshipped. Self is where the loyalty lies. Thus today the main images are sports cars and houses. These gods enhance the real god’s image, man’s image of himself!
Jesus said we cannot serve God and mammon. The word serve here means worship. We worship mammon for what it can do for us. So mammon may be called the god of this world. When people look at the New York Stock Exchange they say that the dollar is the god of this world. Is that why they put “In God we trust” on the back of the dollar bill, to remind the people of the truth? God help the nation that forgets (Deut 8:18).
The god of this world is self. It is his ultimate goal to be god. The god of this world says “Not Thy will, but my will be done.”. This is where wars come from (James 4:1). This is the spirit that works in the sons of rebellion (Eph 2:2). The spirit of this world is, “I do it my way. I am boss. I rule.” At the Tower of Babel they erected a temple to “make a name for themselves” (Gen 11:4). It was self-worship.
Satan knows this and he feeds it with lies. He manipulates the nature that he knows man has. He tempted Eve by making her a god in her eyes. He tempted Jesus by showing the rule that He could have. He tries to make Christianity into something that enables us to get what we want. So why are we in the church? Is it because of loyalty to Christ, or do we have our own plans?
Satan appeals to man by making man the centre, because that is man’s centre. He knows man’s tune. So in this sense he is the prince of this world. He sings man’s tune and uses him to work against the will of God. In election campaigns we see this. One says, “These are the principles I run on.”. The other says, “This is what you will get.”.
This ignorance and blindness is not forced on man by Satan. It is within man, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” (Eph 4:18). This says exactly what 2 Cor 4:4 says, but in Ephesians Paul says the blindness is due to the nature of man.
The nature of man has blinded him. They could not understand Jesus’ parables, not because they were in code, but because of sin. “Go and tell this people, Hear, but do not understand and see, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed.” (Is 6:9-10).
So if this term in 2 Cor 4:4, god of this world, is referring to Satan, it is not referring to any dominion he has. Col 1:13 says God has delivered us from the power (rule, dominion) of darkness. Some say darkness is a dominion and therefore has a king. This is not a dominion of government, but of slavery or imprisonment. Man is held captive not but Satan, but by his own sinful nature.
Paul shows that which rules in Romans 5. “For if by one man’s offence death reigned.” (Rom 5:15) This is death reigning within the human nature. Man’s sin nature rules him. “That as sin has reigned unto death…” (Rom 5:21) Sin, in the nature, reigns as king and brings the man into captivity.
Man’s god is self. That is why salvation and sanctification are by grace alone. In Christ God brings down self by not allowing us any part in our salvation, least we should boast. Grace deals a death blow to self. “Unless you deny yourself…” Grace fulfils this in our life through Jesus Christ.
“Much more the grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded to many.” (Rom 5:15). “Even so grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 5:21). Just as sin reigned and I had no choice, now grace reigns by the fruit of Jesus’ work and has the final say in me! This is the wonderful gospel. It is absolute gift. It could not be anything else.
In Corinthians, what is Paul saying to the church? He is saying that there is a veil over man’s heart because of sin. If he seeks salvation through the law he will have death. But if he receives the grace of God in Christ Jesus, the Spirit of liberty will set him free from sin as a gift. He is not saying anything about spiritual warfare. He is speaking of man’s heart condition and the solution, the grace of Jesus Christ.
In context, Paul is saying to the Gnostics of Corinth, “You say the law gives you special gnosis, rather it is a veil to you. You have become deceived by it.” This verse is a direct correction to the Corinthian problem. Just as any conversation you listen to, you always hear a part of it in the context of the whole discussion. Is Satan behind this deception? Most definitely he is. But it is the changing of the heart through Christ that solves it.
The law brings blindness to man because of his nature. Man’s heart is self-righteous and so law is a force of idolatry in his life. It could even be called the god of this world. The preaching of the grace of Jesus Christ removes that blindness. Modern self psychology is incompatible with the gospel. Preaching national Israel also reconstitutes the veil, by substituting Israel for Jesus Christ, rebuilding what Christ destroyed (Gal 2:18, Eph 2:15).
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