<p>4:2 <i>But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully- </i>What had Paul personally renounced? Surely, the things of Judaism. He speaks about them with very hard language, leading up to his description of them as the great satan in :4. &quot;The hidden things&quot; connect with Moses' face being hidden behind a veil; and Paul now twists the idea of a covered face towards the concept of shame. He presents the revered Moses as it were covered in shame. He considered that the Jewish rabbis handled God's word deceitfully (an allusion to Jer. 8:8?). &quot;Craftiness&quot; is the same word used about the Jewish opposition to the Lord's ministry (Lk. 20:23); it was the characteristic of the Jewish false teachers in 2 Cor. 11:3.</p><p><i>But by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God- </i>By showing that we are real men and women, who are desperate sinners thankful for the real and true grace we have so wonderfully come across, we will persuade men. The more real, the more credible. Paul described the genius of his preaching thus: &ldquo;By the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man&rsquo;s conscience&rdquo; (2 Cor. 4:2). It is our very transparency which strikes a chord in the heart of those who hear us. Paul didn't need letters to commend himself; he says that in their spirit, in the heart, they know that he is sincere. And he uses the same approach here. There is an intuitive sense that a person is manifesting God's truth. This again is the realm of the Spirit. &quot;In the sight of God&quot; or as the phrase is often translated &quot;before God&quot; is a common phrase of Paul's. He was ever aware that life is lived, even in our deepest hearts, in His eyes and presence.</p>