Title: Paul's Ministry II/2 Corinthians 3
Contents Paul's Ministry II (2 Corinthians 3)
Paul uses this accusation as an opportunity to contrast the Old Testament work of the law with the New Testament work of the gospel.
1. Engraved on the heart, not on stones (3:1-3)
“I don’t need a letter of recommendation,” Paul said. You Christians in Corinth are my letters, letters of recommendation. It’s not a Dolby, it’s a letter written in the heart.” “You will know them by their fruits,” said Jesus. A person's life and work can be examined by what he has done. Paul presents himself as God's secretary who wrote the Word into the lives of God's people. It is truly an astonishing truth. All Christians are the “Letter of Christ” that everyone reads.
“You are writing one Gospel every day.
Your actions and your words.
People try to see if it's believable or if it's true
read what you wrote
What kind of Gospel did you write? ”
Moses wrote the law of God on stone. However, in this age God writes His Word on our hearts (Hebrews 10:16-17). The law is an external matter. Grace is inward and concerned with the heart. But Paul did not write with ink. Because it fades.
He wrote forever by the Holy Spirit on the hearts of men. The law, written in stone, is in the hands of men, but it cannot change their lives. However, the Spirit of God can use the Word to change a person's life. Therefore, the work of the New Testament is a spiritual work because the Holy Spirit writes the word into human hearts.
2. Bringing life, not death (3:4-6)
When Paul says that “questioning is killing,” he is not saying that “the written word of God” is against the “spirit” of the Word. We often hear confused people say: “It is wrong to follow the script of the Bible. We must follow the spirit of the Holy Spirit.”
However, keep in mind that when we speak of “the letter,” Paul refers to the Old Testament law. Paul uses several expressions in this chapter to refer to the Old Testament law as the office of interrogation (verse 6), the ministry of death (verse 7), and the ministry of condemnation (verse 9).
The yoke was never given to give life. The law is clearly an office of death. Paul was the minister of the new covenant, which is not the old covenant of works and death. No one has been saved through the law! But in Corinth there were teachers who were teaching people to obey the law and reject Paul's gospel of grace.
For example, if we trace the word “life” in the Gospel of John, we will see that the work of the New Testament is the work of life through the Holy Spirit. In John 6:63 it is written, “It is the Spirit that gives life.”
3. Not a glory that will wither, but a lasting glory (3:7-13)
Of course, there was no glory in the work of the Old Testament. Glory filled the temple, and God's work rested upon the people in the wilderness. The temple and the ordinances, the giving of the law to Moses, all these were their glory. However, it was a fading glory, not a lasting glory.
Paul quotes Moses' experience in Exodus 34:29-35. Moses experienced the presence of God, and the glory of God was reflected on his face. However, Moses knew that this glory would fade, so he always covered his face with a towel when speaking to people. Otherwise, the people would lose confidence in his work when they saw the dimmed glory. It is usually taught that Moses wore a veil for fear of surprise, but this is a tulin. Read verse 13 carefully. In Taylor's Living Letters it is translated: “We do not act as Moses put on a veil so that no one can see the light fade from his face.”
It was never the will of God that the glory of the Old Covenant and Law should remain. Before the glory of God abided, the glory was fading. If the ministry of condemnation (the law) is glorious, the ministry of righteousness (the gospel) is even more glorious. Paul doesn't need a veil. Because there is nothing to hide. The glory of the gospel is there. If this glory is not seen, it is not his fault (4:3-6).
4. What is revealed, not covered ( 3:14-16)
Paul is applying the veil of Moses spiritually. He mentions that the Jews still wear a veil on their hearts when they read the Old Testament, and this veil keeps them from seeing Christ. The Old Testament will always be a book locked in the heart that does not know Christ.
By borrowing the veil of the temple, Christ fulfilled the patterns and prophecies of the Old Testament and removed the veil. Israel, ignorant of the implied work of the law, clings to a ministry whose glory will fade, a ministry that will never last.
Israel was doubly blind. They were blinded personally so they could not see Christ in the Old Testament, and they were also blinded by judgment, which God did not allow them to see as a nation (Romans 11:25). 2 Corinthians 4:4 suggests that Satan not only blinds the hearts of all sinners, but also hides the glorious gospel of Christ.
However, the veil is lifted when the heart is turned to Christ. When Moses went up the mountain to see God, the veil was removed. Thus, when any Jew turns honestly to the Lord, his spiritual veil will be removed, he will see Christ, and receive the Lord as Savior. The work of the New Testament is to point to Christ through the Word of God (New Testament and Old Testament). We have nothing to hide and nothing to hide. Glory is eternal and will grow brighter and brighter.
5. Freedom, not bondage (3:17-18)
Verse 17 is heavily misused and quoted as an excuse for all kinds of unspiritual practices. “The Lord is a Spirit.” It is through the Holy Spirit that man is converted to Christ. The Holy Spirit gives freedom from permanent bondage. The old covenant was a covenant of works and bondage (Acts 15:10). However, the new covenant of the gospel is the office of glorious liberty in Christ (Galatians 5:1ff).
This freedom is, of course, not indulgence, but freedom from fear, from sin, from the world and from religious ceremonies. All Christians are like Moses. With the face removed from the veil, he can go into the presence of God and enjoy the glory of God. Receive that glory for yourself and become more like Christ.
In verse 18 Paul summarizes the meaning of sanctification and of growing in grace. He compares the Word of God to a mirror (James 1:23-25). The Spirit of God transforms him into more Christlikeness (Romans 8:29). The word “reconciled” in this verse is the same as “be transformed” in Romans 12:2. It explains how we renew our hearts in Christ.
Christians are not subject to bondage and fear. He can come into the presence of God and enjoy his glory and grace. We don't have to wait for him to come to be like him. When we live in the Word and in the Spirit, we can grow “from glory to glory” every day.
Truly our position in Christ is a glorious position. Although New Testament Christians do not have ceremonial ceremonies or visible clothing, the ministry of grace is far superior to Judaism. It is our glorious office. Its glory will never fade.