4:10 Paul’s suffering and apparent defeats are evidence to all that he has no effective strength in himself and that, as Christ died, so also Paul knows he is “dead” in terms of his own ability to accomplish anything of eternal significance. Paul uses the key experiences of Christ (death and resurrection) as a pattern for understanding his own experiences as an apostle. Thus, Paul sees his own sufferings as an imitation of Christ’s (1:5 and note).

that the life. In Paul’s weakness Jesus’ power is continually made known (cf. Gal. 2:20).