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2 Corinthians Chapter 3
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as
some, letters of commendation to you or from you?"
In a file cabinet, in my closet, I have "letters of reference," which extend
back some 40-years. Such letters have been customary in our society, and that was
also true in the Roman Empire. If you are my potential employer, you will need more
than letters from 30- or 40-years ago - you need to know who I am (and
it’s a good time for us to become acquainted).
As to Paul’s situation, there were plenty of guys running around to the churches
of that time (like Corinth), with "credentials" in the form of letters of
recommendation. Many of them were "judaizers" who had the outward
credentials but lacked God’s heart for people.
Paul had given these people - Christ! Under his ministry, they received the
baptism in the Holy Spirit. He taught them and nursed them, with the good things of
God. Of all people, they should have been satisfied with his ministry, and yet there
were those of the law who had planted seeds of doubt, and the Corinthians WONDERED about
him.
Verse 2. "You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all
men;"
Paul was the "midwife" who had "birthed" these people into Christ.
In 1953, I was attending a meeting at Hume Lake, in California, and the speaker was
my pastor, Howard Ervin. (As I wrote this, Howard was in his 80’s and still
taught a Bible study on Friday evenings). He always clearly spoke of my (our) need
to receive Christ, and touched inside by the Holy Spirit, I went forward and received our
Lord.
I have no trouble recognizing Howard as my "father" in the faith, who led me
to the Lord. If he had called me on the telephone, I would NOT need some kind of
letter (perhaps faxed to me), authenticating him and his ministry. Because of
Howard’s faithfulness (and the work of the Holy Spirit through him), I am changed.
I have become Howard’s letter (and the Lord’s), written on my humanity,
in the blood of Christ. The ministry that is authenticated by changed lives, reveals
the presence of God.
We are made alive in Christ, and the promise of His life is extended to those we
meet - expressed through you and even through me. Since this writing, such a short
time ago, I have learned Howard is now with the Lord. But Howard is ALIVE in Christ,
and because of his faithfulness, so am I.
Verse 3. "being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us,
written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God,
not on tablets of stone but on tablets of
human hearts."
We have read a lot of letters (epistles) and many are part of the Bible. Paul wrote
such letters, as did Peter, John, Jude, and James. Paul himself was a "letter"
(as were the others), written by God, addressed to you and to me.
The surprise is that you and I are also such letters, written by the Son of God, sealed
by the Holy Spirit, and sent to the world. "Dear…(fill in the name), this
is Ron (or your name, if you are in Christ). Receive this person as My child,
because they are in My Son. Give them every consideration you would give to
Me…" YOU are a letter from God.
Jeremiah related (31:33) "I (God) will put My law in their inward parts, and write
it in their hearts." Ezekiel reported (11:22) "I will take the stony heart
of their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh." These verses are
fulfilled for us, when we receive the Lord, the Son of God.
Verse 4. "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God."
The trust that we are given to receive Him, also brings confidence IN Him.
"Trust" is faith, and I love the entry verse into the "faith"
chapter of Hebrews (11:1), "Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen." This "faith" is not of
ourselves (Hebrews 12:2), but is wrought in Christ, imparted to us; the gift of God.
If it was of us, it would not be evidence of Him.
We understand all these things about laws, covenants, letters, and so on, not because
we are somehow skilled in understanding God or in having faith, but through the Son of
God, Who gave us the Spirit of God. All we do is receive the finished work of
Christ, the Son of God, and in Him, we are given the capacity to have faith in Him.
His Spirit is planted deep within our hearts, and much like we are given eyes that
see, He has given us His Spirit, that we might understand.
We have confidence in Christ, in God.
Verse 5. "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as
coming from
ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,"
If we are unable to understand this verse, or we feel like failures as Christians, it
is explained in John 15:5: "I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without
Me, you can do nothing." It is Christ Who has done the work - our
job is to be - in Him. The branch does not produce the fruit – It is the Tree
that produces the fruit, through the branch. We are never "failures"
– we need to relax, and let Him express Himself THROUGH you and me.
We are merely flesh, and cannot save, or truly love, or trust, or do any good and
lasting thing, except Christ (the Vine) expresses Himself through us (the branches).
We can baptize, perform the Lord’s Supper, teach His Word, and lay hands on
people - but without Him, these are mere rituals done by people.
We are not sufficient in ourselves. Do you sometimes feel - incomplete?
Without Christ, you will always have that gnawing emptiness; a sense something is missing
(because you ARE incomplete). Sufficiency is from God, through Christ.
In Him, you can rest, because you are now more than adequate - in Him.
Verse 6. "who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of
the letter but
of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the
Spirit gives life."
The New Covenant is as high as the heavens (the far flung galaxies) are, in relation to
the earth; and indeed the Old Covenant, though holy, is designed for this time, this
earth. When we stop at a red light, it is commendable, and the lives of those in
cross traffic are saved because we stop. When we respond to "Thou shalt not
commit murder," It is a good thing and certainly does protect our neighbor.
The moral teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), can be summed up by the phrase,
"Do not do harm to one another," and when you add to that, "Honor God and
do not blaspheme His Name," you essentially have the Old Covenant. Commendable,
but inside we know it (keeping the law) is insufficient to save.
Each of us knows our thoughts, intents, and our past, and recognize we need a Savior.
To leave the realm of the law (which reveals our sin), and enter the realm of the
Spirit, we must be changed. In the one, we are (from God’s perspective)
pronounced dead, and in the Other, we are made alive (in Christ).
What is our authority to minister? Is it because we graduated from a
certain college, have some kind of title, or wear a certain uniform? It is none of
these. We only are sufficient as ministers IN HIM. If we give one
another the letter of the law (don’t do this; don’t do that), we lead others
only into the conviction of sin. We need the Spirit of Christ, who gives us life.
Verse 7. "But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came
with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses
because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,"
How was (is) the law (the ministry of death) glorious? In relation to the
law (in the Book of Exodus), we see the ocean split into dry land; a pillar of fire and
smoke; water coming out of rocks; food from nothing, right outside their tent flaps each
morning, and Moses was transformed from a man of human effort, into a man of faith, a
servant of God. His face (Exodus 34:29) shone with the glory of God when he talked
with the people. But the greatest glory of the law is that it "kills" (2
Corinthians 3:6) by letting us discover our bankruptcy of the soul and our need of God.
Moses saw his need of God, and so should we.
Verse 8. "how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with
glory?"
How is the ministry of the Spirit, greater (more glorious) than the ministry of the law
(preceding verses)? One aspect is certainly discussed in Psalm 147:5 (&
context): "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is
infinite." You see, our attempts to keep the law, will reach right down inside of
us, and declare us to be sinners - and then just leave us there! And we are given
ultimately, no permanent remedy for our sin in the law! (The sacrifices in the Law
were illustrative of Christ but for those people, they were only conditional and
temporary).
From your encounter with the law, you will have no place to go, but up, for the law
cannot bring you up, but only reveal you for what you are. Jesus pointed out that
our problem with the law, is that it does not merely consider our outward actions, but our
inward attitudes.
If you are angry with someone, or think he’s "nuts" (Matthew 5:22); if
you are furious at that other driver on the freeway - you have sinned and are guilty
before the law. If you address the merest thoughts of adultery (or fornication),
you’re guilty (Matthew 5:28) in the sight of a Holy God.
God understands (Psalm 147:5) your limitations and He loves you personally, so
much, that He wants you to - live! The law understands and makes you die.
Understanding in the Holy Spirit of God, is limitless, filled with love, and you will live
in JOY - forever! Do you see how the One is higher than the other?
Verse 9. "For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the
ministry of righteousness abound in glory."
The law is beautiful. Can you imagine how this world would be, if people did not
murder one another, anymore? What if we did not steal from each other? What if
people stopped lying? Even if we all lived in the harshest desert, life would be
better, because we would become at peace with one another. Wouldn’t that
be glorious? Yes, it would be, and the law is glorious! The only problem - we
are not glorious. For, when we receive the information from the law that we are not
perfect, we typically respond by hiding our flaws, and pretending we don’t
have them!
The ministry of righteousness, on the other hand, from outside of us, and in
the heart of God. He brings His heart, His love, in Christ Jesus, and plants the
good seed of faith - deep inside of you and me. The seed begins to grow, and in
amongst our stony ground, will grow the most beautiful "flowers." These
are "flowers" such as love, purity, faith, gentleness, etc. That which we
could never do on our own, begins to happen, because He who loves us and died for us; now
lives in us, and He will bring it to pass.
Verse 10. "For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of
the glory that surpasses it."
For years after I quit smoking - oddly enough the times I wanted to smoke, were when I
was confronted by a "No Smoking" sign. The law is like that, for it tends
to reveal the deep rebelliousness within us all. Now, I did not quit smoking because
of "No Smoking" signs. It was rather that I could not quit, for
literally years, and then I prayed that one more time, and God delivered me.
"No Smoking" signs are good and they have a fine purpose, but to actually
quit smoking is better. So much better, the one cannot be compared with the
other. The moon is glorious but the sun is much more so. If the moon suddenly
disappeared, we might have earthquakes and flooding, but many would live. Without
the sun, everything would quickly die. So is the Spirit infinitely greater than the
law. The one is good, but it kills, and the Other gives life.
Verse 11. "For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which
remains is in glory."
The law is passing away. There will not be any "No Smoking" signs in
eternity, because no one would want to smoke. It is unnecessary to say "Thou
shalt not commit murder" in a setting where death is unthinkable. You
don’t steal when you have everything, and even more important, when you are enabled
to really LOVE that other person, you don’t hurt them.
The incredible thing, is that eternity has already begun for us - right now! It
is not that we have to somehow wait for sin to be put away, for Jesus has already done
what is needed, and more!
Paul said "we were dead" (Ephesians 2:5). We are already sitting
"in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (2:6). Because of His grace, through
faith (2:8-9), "good works" have been created in us, in Christ Jesus
(2:10). We no longer need to be under law, because we have received the Spirit of
God.
Rejoice - for Someone glorious has come and is imparting His Life; right
inside of you. The "old" begins to fade - when you receive the New.
Verse 12. "Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our
speech,"
The law is like the black velvet (of a jewelry store), upon which the diamond ring is
placed. She (the bride-to-be), will receive the ring with joy, but will give little
thought to the velvet, for it merely points to the ring. Receiving the ring (itself
a promise), she experiences a reasonable onset of joy, and typically wants to talk a lot
about her husband-to-be. She has the hope of a more complete life, and wears
that ring, if you think about it, because of the promise of so much more. We have great
hope in Christ, our Beloved, and more-and-more, we will want to share our love of Him.
Verse 13. "and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so
that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away."
There’s a minor controversy about this verse (from Exodus 34:33-35), for some
teach Moses was simply afraid people would see the glory of God was fading away (as this
verse appears in some translations). Others teach something along the line that he
was protecting them from the glare. I think a wider look at this verse is better,
for it is not merely an isolated statement, but part of a context. The whole of
Moses’ life (and that of Israel), is, by the way, a parable to help us
understand God’s intentions for mankind.
Most of the people Israel (as most of the world) were not believers, though outwardly,
they were of that nation. Many go to Church but do not personally know Christ.
There is a "veil" over what people see, and tragically, many indicate a
lack of understanding by trying to approach God merely though "good" works or
POSITIVE intentions.
Paul was bold (verse 12), and compared his approach with Moses (verse 13), who
instead veiled the glory of God. It’s not that Moses did something good
or bad, right or wrong (as some teach), either - again, his act was a parable that we
might understand why some do not believe. They do not believe because they do not
see, and the glory of God remains veiled because people generally do not want to
see God.
Paul offered the Spirit of God, and was open, because the Holy Spirit gives life.
Moses offered the law, which was beautiful, but to the faithless, it kills.
There was that aspect of Moses’ dealings with the people, which was like a
funeral. Depending on the culture, those at a funeral might wear black, or white, or
are veiled, or whatever. Paul operated boldly, openly, because he offers life
- to you.
Verse 14. "But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the
reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in
Christ."
Years ago, my wife referred to me as "Hard-headed", because I did not see (or
adopt) her point of view (and she had a point). But this is more than just a change
in a way of looking at things – Paul is urging us to a whole new LIFE in Christ
Jesus. We are to be made NEW, different, in Him. This is the way of
faith in God, that it leads to Christ - HE is the One given for the sins of the world.
To be "hardened" is to refuse to receive God the Son.
There are those who will not see. Something that is veiled cannot be seen
(because it is veiled). But Jesus Christ is openly offered to you. Is it your
problem that you do not understand God? - Turn to Christ; abandon yourself to Him.
Take the risk, and we who receive, will perceive more than we ever dreamed – We will
understand His love.
Verse 15-16. "But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their
heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
It’s incredible to me, that at one time, I read about the sacrifices in Leviticus
(a part of the Books of Moses) and did not see Christ. As the author of Hebrews
correctly pointed out, "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take
away sins" (Hebrews 10:4). Then what was the meaning of all those sacrifices of
bulls, goats, and other animals, in the Book of Leviticus?
They were historical parables, revealing to the people of that time, and to us, in
picture form, our need of Christ. "We have been sanctified through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). Moses, in every
way, was more than just a man; he was a parable, and he pointed to our Lord, Jesus Christ.
There was a time when I looked into Scripture, and did not see, because there was a
"veil" on my heart. Thanks be to God, the veil is now taken away –
and in Christ, we can SEE. Paul said, "Awake sleeper, rise from the dead, and
Christ will give you light." (Ephesians 5:14).
Verse 17. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty."
When you turn to God in Christ, the Holy Spirit becomes the Lord of your life, leading
you and guiding you, in every good and perfect way. In Him, we have freedom, like we
never before dreamed. People often think of "freedom" as the right to do
"whatever we want." But if you and I each have that kind of
"freedom", we will eventually infringe on the rights of each other, and find we
do not have "freedom" after all.
Paul taught us we are "called to freedom (only) do not turn your freedom into an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another" (Galatians 5:13).
There is true freedom when we are enabled to love one another more than ourselves.
If we only stand up for OUR "rights", we can never, ever be free.
Freedom is abandonment to the love of God, and sharing His love with one another.
Verse 18. "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as
from the Lord, the Spirit."
We are transformed, in Christ. As Joseph Excell pointed out, people are
"singularly UNLIKE Christ - by nature like Satan; by grace like Christ."
It is astonishing that we who are NOT like Him, gradually BECOME like Him, because of the
power and love of God. From glory to glory, His people, acquire His character: nobility
(to those who are not noble; peace to the restless; joy to the unhappy; and usefulness
to the one who formerly would not follow God.
It’s like we become some kind of mirror, dim and pitted we may be; reflecting Him,
His glory - the very glory of God. How are we to be "light" (or "salt"
for that matter – Matthew 5:13-16)? We don’t have a clue. It is the
LORD, the Spirit of God, Who transforms us into the very image of God. We don’t
even know, really, what that "image" is about, but He is doing that precise and
wonderful work, IN those who simply BELIEVE - in Him. He imparts HIS glory to
ordinary people; just like you and me.
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
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