What does 'earthen vessels' mean in 2 Corinthians 4:7?
In 2 Corinthians 4:7, 'earthen vessels' refers not to a literal clay pot but to the human body of flesh, made up of the elements of the earth. The treasure is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, entrusted to mortal men rather than angels.
Les explains that the treasure is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, the light that lights the whole world and is available for believers to draw upon. He says God did not see fit to put this treasure in the hands of angels but left it in the hands of mortal men. Paul was just as human as the rest of us, and it did not stop with Paul; other men came along, and even today every one of us has the opportunity to share the Word with whoever might listen. So 'earthen vessels' is not a clay pot but this body of flesh, made up of the elements of the earth.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
More Questions
What is the treasure Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 4:7?
The "treasure" Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 4:7 is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God — the light that lighteth the whole world, which is already there for us to draw upon and which we who know the Lord can have.