2 Corinthians 3

Friday, 3 July 2015

…how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 2 Corinthians 3:8

What a wonderful, even amazing sentiment! Paul has spoken of the glory of the “ministry of death” (meaning the Law of Moses) which is fading away. In an argument from the lesser to the greater he now basically asks, “If that was so glorious, then how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?”

Note how he does not call it the “ministry of life” in contrast to the “ministry of death.” Instead he calls it the “ministry of the Spirit.” This Spirit, meaning the Holy Spirit, is life and so the contrast is made instead to the physical, tangible stone with carved letters. Because of the use of “the Spirit” in place of the law, it is speaking of the entire process of the transmission of the gospel – the work at Pentecost, His influence on the apostles to include their work and their writings which are now the New Testament, and then the continued preaching and evaluation of that word. This, and so much more, is the “ministry of the Spirit.”

It is this which is more glorious, and it is this which will reveal glories ahead. This is seen in the use of the preposition en which denotes the permanent nature of the glory, and then the verb translated as “will be,” which is in the future tense. It shows that what is yet to be revealed contains surpassing glory. Everything about the new surpasses the old, both in the present and in what is yet to be revealed.

Life application: At times, it may seem that our work in the church is not getting anywhere or that the rewards for our efforts just don’t seem to carry a great deal of glory. But this is because we are looking at the present and comparing it to the present. If we can remember that every thing we do, every dollar we give, and every prayer for the lost that is realized… all of this carries an eternal glory which is at this time beyond our imagination. Each person who is brought into salvation through Jesus Christ has an eternity of joy in store for them. Let us not forget this as we continue to work for the expansion of the church.

Glorious God Almighty, You have set before us a challenge to strive to the fullest in spreading the gospel message to the world. Help us to take full advantage of this and to never feel that what we are doing isn’t of the greatest value. Every dollar given, every prayer which is heard by You for the lost, and every time the message of Jesus is spoken, it has the ability to bring Your surpassing glory to another person; a glory which will never fade, even unto eternity. Help us to consider and remember this. Amen.

Thursday, 2 July 2015

But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,  2 Corinthians 3:7

In the previous verse Paul noted that “the letter kills.” Now he uses that thought to convey an idea concerning the surpassing glory of the gospel. But first he must show how glorious even the Law of Moses was. This law, “the ministry of death,” was “written and engraved on stones.” The Greek literally reads, “Engraved on stones by means of letters.”

This document, the Ten Commandments, was representative of the whole Law of Moses. And it bore a glory that was so amazing that its effects are specifically recorded for us to remember. The account is in Exodus 34:29-35. In short, Paul explains that it was so glorious “that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away.”

The radiation of the glory of God emanated from Moses after he beheld the Divine glory. This was a part of his ministry as the lawgiver to the people. It showed the splendor of what God was doing in the giving and tending to of the law through Moses. And yet, Paul’s words show that this amazing glory which caused this supernatural emanation of light from the face of Moses “was passing away.”

In other words, the law which was given through Moses is being equated with the passing away of the glory of the light emanating from Moses. There would be a time when the law would fade into history, being replaced with something even more glorious. He will explain this in the verses ahead.

Life application: If the glory of God was associated with the giving of the old covenant which was intended to end at the coming of Christ, then how much greater must be the glory in the giving of the new. Let us never presume to return to the Law which has now faded away. Instead, let us proceed onward in the grace of Jesus Christ, adhering to the new covenant which is sealed in His precious blood.

Lord God, You have shown us in the Old Testament how glorious the giving of the Law of Moses was, such that Moses himself radiated that glory. And yet, you have shown us that it was a glory which was passing away. In its place You granted us a new covenant with a glory which is a surpassing glory. Help us to live in this covenant of grace, never turning from it to reinsert that which has passed. Give us wisdom in this, O Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

…who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:6

Paul shows here that the sufficiency of his ministry came from God “who also made us sufficient ministers of the new covenant.” From beginning to end, his work was enabled and carried through because of the work of God. And there is an end-purpose to it that God is working towards. It is in these duties, ministering to the new covenant, that they have been so enabled to work.

This new covenant is then contrasted to the old covenant through Paul’s continued words. He says, “…not of the letter but of the Spirit.” The Mosaic Law came in writing by the hand of God and carried with it the full force and effect of consequences for violating its precepts. Instead, the new covenant in Christ’s blood is received by hearing and believing. Upon belief the person is sealed with the Spirit. It is an accomplished fact at that point.

The difference between the two is then explicitly stated in Paul’s next words – “for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Paul explains this in detail in Romans. But a good summary set of verses is found in Chapter 7 –

“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.” Romans 7:9-11

And as an object lesson of the severity of the law in contrast to the life-giving power of the new covenant, God reveals these two examples from biblical history –

“Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), ²⁶ then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. ²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.” Exodus 32:25-28

&

“And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:40-42

At the time of the giving of the law, 3000 people perished due to disobedience of the law. At the time of the giving of the Spirit, 3000 people were saved due to reception of the word of life! It is an object lesson in and of itself concerning the superiority of the giving of the Spirit over the giving of the written code of the Mosaic Law.

The contrast in this verse is between the entire body of law given at Sinai and the giving of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem at Pentecost. We now also have written guidelines with the completion of the New Testament, but its application is based on the work of the Spirit after salvation. It is He who saves us and then we learn the details of this new life in Christ. In contrast, the Old Testament simply brought death through the revival of sin.

Life application: We are saved by grace through faith. That is a very simple concept which is often turned into a convoluted system of working towards salvation by uninformed or outright false teachers. To say that works are required to save us or to keep us saved is to say that what Christ did was insufficient for our salvation. May we never be so presumptuous!

Lord God, at the giving of the Law of Moses, three thousand people perished. At the reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, three thousand people were saved. The contrast is clear concerning the superiority of the New over the Old. For me, I choose life; I choose salvation; I choose Jesus! Thank You for such obvious examples in Scripture which confirm Your hand in redemptive history – all leading to the wonder of understanding salvation by grace through faith. Marvelous! Amen.

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 2 Corinthians 3:5

Paul just noted in the previous verse that “…we have such trust through Christ toward God.” He admitted that the trust was “through Christ,” but possibly fearing that this expression wasn’t to be fully understood, he expands upon it now. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves” is stating that even the trust they have ultimately comes from God. If we have trust in the things of God, then they must be from God. One cannot trust in what one does not believe in! This sufficiency from God excludes thinking “of anything as being from ourselves.”

In all things related to faith, God must be the Source. Our faith, our hope, our trust, our reason for working, and etc all stem from God. Nothing that we possess in our faith can logically stem from ourselves. This does not mean that we don’t have free will, but that the free will we exercise stems from God as well. He is the Source of all things. One difference between a mature believer and those who are either weak in their faith, or who have no faith, is that they have come to the understanding that all things are from, for, and to God. He is absolutely sovereign and we are living within the confines of His sovereign works over and through creation.

Therefore, with this understanding, Paul completes the thought by acknowledging just that. He says, “…but our sufficiency is from God.” His conversion was from God. His growth in Christ was from God. His communicating to others the gospel (which is from God) and their reception of it is from God. If we as believers can truly accept this fact, then we stand in a very good spot in relation to Him. In the end, there should be no fear of failure, no fear of man, and no worry about the day ahead. God is directing all things according to His wisdom. We are to engage our feet with this thought in mind. Let us head out each day knowing that the Lord is already aware of all that will transpire and He is directing our steps according to that plan.

Life application: The life you have is a gift from the Lord and is to be used for the Lord. Use it to His glory and don’t fret about the path you are on. He is there with you, and He will be there at the end waiting for you.

Heavenly Father, I am so content to know that You are the source of all of who I am. My sufficiency is not from myself, but from You. I have no need to worry if I am not in the right spot according to Your plan… I must be; it is Your plan! Therefore, I know that You are directing my steps for Your good purposes. Help me to engage my feet with confidence that You are there with me as I walk and that You will be there at the end of the path with open arms. I have received Jesus… of course I am in the right place according to Your wisdom. Amen.

Monday, 29 June 2015

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 2 Corinthians 3:4

Paul and those with him relied on the “epistle” which is the church itself to be the sure proof of their ministry. To him, it was enough to know that their ministry was in fact appointed by God and accepted by God. And this was despite their many failings and points of error in doctrine which he had addressed and which he will continue to address.

Because of this trust, there was no need for any other external proofs, such as letters of commendation. They alone as a body of believers were sufficient for the sure testimony of their hard work. And this sure trust is “through Christ.” In reading Paul’s many letters, it is apparent through and through that he never considered his own efforts to be what made the difference in the result of his labors. Instead, it was Christ working through him, directing him, and guiding him to obtain the much needed results of an effective “living epistle” which were the churches established and built up by his ministry. One example of many which Paul writes is found in Ephesians 4 –

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” Ephesians 4:11, 12

It is Christ who gives “for the equipping of” the many various tasks of which the church is engaged. Finally, it is “through Christ toward God” that this occurs. The idea of “toward God” is that the surety that was felt was related to God. It was a confidence that their works were appointed by Him, established by Him, and conducted in them by Him. Further, it is implied that any continuance of their works in Christ would be toward God. Paul’s words are a marvelous reflection of his confidence that everything was of Him, by Him, and for Him.

Life application: Either a church is built on Christ (meaning the Christ of the Bible) and whose confidence is in God’s efforts in the conduct of the church, or it is not really a church at all. Far too many churches today bear the name of Christ, but they have no true trust in Christ toward God. In essence, they meet to “play church,” but there is no ultimate uniting with God in their meeting.

Heavenly Father, I know that there is one true church which is comprised of your faithful people. Among them, there are groups of people who meet to honor and exalt You and there are others who meet in utter disobedience to Your word. Keep me from any gathering that does not rely on the precepts of the Bible which reveal Your will for right conduct, holy living, and the glorifying of You. Lead my steps to gatherings that will place You above all else. Thank You for directing me according to Your wisdom. Amen.