II Corinthians 4:2 “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
Paul lists three “hidden things” that must be “renounced”: “dishonesty” and “walking in craftiness” and “handling the word of God deceitfully”! He declared that “we faint not” (II Corinthians 4:1); specifically, we will not “faint” in our duties to defend the Word of God while some hide behind a religious façade as they are aggressively distorting the Truth of God. In our day, as in the Apostle’s day, there are those who appear to be “willingly … ignorant of” the Word of God (II Peter 3:5), they seem to be so hungry for recognition and position that they use “hidden things” to promote themselves, even at the expense of the Lord’s Church, people, and Word. This confusion has now been taught for so long that many actually believe that they are worshiping “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). These “things” are “hidden”, by those who are not totally honest in the “things” they do and teach. They use these “hidden things” to diminish the Word of God as they exalt themselves. They used “dishonesty”; that is, they are not altogether truthful in the things they teach about the Word of God. They use “craftiness”; that is, they take a little truth and twist it to promote their philosophies and themselves. These errors are not simply “a matter of opinion”, it is a matter of what our Lord has declared to be the Truth, Truth is not variable! Those who employ these “hidden things” seem to have no conscience as they distort “the word of God” to accomplish their purpose. Paul said that he and those with him “have renounced the hidden things”; that is, they rejected them and spoke against them; we should do likewise! We were warned, that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (II Timothy 4:3). We clearly expose these “hidden things” as we prayerfully read and study the Word of God, go to and be a part of the Lord’s Church, actively hear the Gospel preached and taught, and then declare it in our speech and manner of living.