II Corinthians 4:3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Paul had “renounced the hidden things of dishonesty” and was “not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully” (II Corinthians 4:2); but, many were deceiving the people with false doctrines and practices. In contrast to “the hidden things”, Paul declares “if our gospel be hid”; that is, we have not “hidden” “our gospel” behind a cloak of deceit, we have preached and taught it plainly and completely. But, because “the god of this world” (the devil) had “blinded the minds of them which believe not”, they were “lost” to the joy and peace of our Lord’s glorious Gospel and to the benefits of His Church. There are those who are “dead” to the Gospel because God has not given them Spiritual Life (Ephesians 2:1); but, in the context of II Corinthians 4:3, these are “lost” to the joy and comfort of the truth of Jesus Christ. If the “gospel be hid”, it is hidden behind a cloud of deceit that is cast upon the people by “the god of this world”; it is not hidden by faithful ministers of the Gospel! The word that is translated “lost” is translated also “perish” thirty-three times and “destroy” twenty-six times. The sense is that those whose “minds” are “blinded” by “the god of this world”, are “lost” on the path to destruction. This is much like how the prophets warned Old Testament Israel, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 1:19-20) and “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.” (Hosea 13:9). It is plain to see that “the god of this world” is still employing his deceptive “wiles” (Ephesians 6:11) and “devices” (II Corinthians 2:11) to blind “the minds of them that believe not”. Nevertheless, it is our duty to faithfully preach, teach, and live “the glorious gospel of Christ” as clearly and completely as the Lord will enable us to.