"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
— 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)
2 Corinthians 4:16 is the "we do not lose heart" verse, Paul's honest word about getting older, wearing out, and being renewed inside anyway. This page gives the verse, what the key words mean, how it leads into verses 17-18, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about renewal, Bible verses about hope, and Bible verses about suffering.
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The verse
The King James reads: "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
"Lose heart" (KJV "faint") is ekkakeo (G1573), to grow weary or give up. "Outwardly" is exo (G1854), outside, and "wasting away" (KJV "perish") is diaphtheiro (G1311), to decay or wear out. "Inwardly" is eso (G2080), and "renewed" is anakainoo (G341), to make new again, in the present tense: it keeps happening, "day by day" (hemera, G2250).
Where it sits in 2 Corinthians 4
Paul has described the pressure of his ministry: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). He holds on "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:14).
Verse 16 begins with "Therefore," and the next two verses finish the thought: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
What the verse is saying
Paul does not pretend the body is not wearing out. He says plainly that outwardly "we are wasting away." But that is not the whole story. At the same time, something inside is being made new, and it happens daily, not once.
That is why he does not give up. The renewal comes from God, the hope rests on the resurrection (verse 14), and the troubles look small next to the glory ahead (verse 17). For the same daily mercy, see Lamentations 3:22-23; for strength when tired, see Isaiah 40:31.
Questions people ask
What does 2 Corinthians 4:16 say?
In the NIV it says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." The KJV reads, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
What does 2 Corinthians 4:16 mean?
It means that even as the body weakens and life wears a person down, God keeps renewing them inside, day after day. Because of that, and because of the coming resurrection, Paul refuses to give up.
What is 2 Corinthians 4:16-18?
The three verses go together: we do not lose heart, because we are renewed inwardly day by day; our light and momentary troubles are achieving an eternal glory; so we fix our eyes on what is unseen and eternal.
What does "renewed day by day" mean?
"Renewed" translates anakainoo, to make new again, in a tense that means ongoing action. The renewal is not a single event but something God keeps doing every day.
What other verses are like 2 Corinthians 4:16?
Isaiah 40:31 (those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength), Lamentations 3:22-23 (his mercies are new every morning), and Romans 12:2 (be transformed by the renewing of your mind) are close companions.
