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The phrase “fix your eyes on what’s unseen” from 2 Corinthians 4:18 comes in the middle of one of Paul’s most profound eschatological exhortations, and to grasp it fully you have to see what verbs Paul uses in context and what he commands the believer to do in view of Christ’s cross and resurrection power already at work.
Paul is writing to a Corinthian church battered by affliction and tempted to despair under ministry hardships and persecution. He does not minimize their pain but reframes it within the larger reality of God’s eternal purposes already inaugurated by Christ’s finished work. Verses 16–18 form one thought-unit, with three key present-tense verbs that mark the believer’s response to suffering.
First, οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν — we do not lose heart (v.16). This verb (ekkakeō) is the deliberate, Spirit-empowered resolve not to grow weary or shrink back under external or internal pressure. It is the same word Paul uses in Galatians 6:9: “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap.” In context, it expresses active endurance rooted in faith that Christ’s resurrection guarantees final victory (cf. 4:14: “he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also”).
Second, ἀνακαινοῦται — is being renewed (v.16). While our outer man (exō anthrōpos) is wasting away, Paul insists our inner man (esō anthrōpos) is being renewed day by day. This verb (anakainoō, present passive) highlights that even now, the Spirit is doing a continuous, transformative work in the believer’s soul through trials, shaping us into Christ’s likeness. This means that our affliction is not only temporary but actually instrumental in preparing us for glory.
Third, σκοπούντων — as we look at (v.18). This present participle (skopountōn, from skopeō, “to keep one’s gaze fixed”) is the key action Paul calls for. It’s not a one-time glance but an ongoing, disciplined focus. We keep on looking at what is unseen — the promises of God, the inheritance to come, the reality of Christ’s lordship — because faith sees what the eye cannot see (cf. Hebrews 11:1). This verb implies intentionality, active mental engagement, and perseverance. It is the same word used in Philippians 3:14 when Paul says he presses on toward the goal and forgets what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead.
Notice in context that this fixing our eyes is not denial of suffering but reorientation of perspective. Verse 17 explicitly says that our “light momentary affliction” works out (katergazetai, present middle verb) an eternal weight of glory. The verb is vital: affliction does not just passively precede glory, it actively produces it by God’s design. The believer’s job is to keep looking at what is unseen so that hope and endurance keep operating even when circumstances scream otherwise.
In sum, fixing your eyes on what’s unseen means you refuse to lose heart (οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν), you yield to the Spirit’s renewing work (ἀνακαινοῦται), you keep actively focusing (σκοπούντων) on the eternal realities that the cross of Christ secured and that the Spirit applies. It is a verb-driven faith, not passive sentiment.
You endure because you trust the God who already raised Jesus (4:14), you let him renew you day by day (4:16), and you keep your gaze locked where his promises point you (4:18). This is the gritty, Spirit-enabled walk of faith that sees the unseen by believing the gospel.
J.
