2 Corinthians 3:1-11

Chapter Three (actually beginning with 2:14) up to chapter 7, verse 4, begins a digression so remarkable that historians have wondered if this sections was actually part of the original letter. Even a casual reader is jolted at the jump between the travelogue commentary in the first two chapters and the next five chapters which contains Paul's philosophy of apostolic ministry. The question of authenticity has been settled by scholars but we need to shift gears. With this in mind we will move on from the relational issues that prompted the letter. We will look at the following six points:

  The Corinthian Believers—a Letter from Christ (3:1–11)

  Seeing the Glory of God with Unveiled Faces (3:12—4:6)

  Treasure in Clay Jars (4:7–16a)

  The Prospect of Death and What It Means for the Christian (4:16b—5:10)

  The Ministry of Reconciliation (5:11—6:10)

  A Spiritual Father’s Appeal to His Children (6:11—7:4)

  "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 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.

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 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. 

2 Corinthians 3:1-6 Paul opens this section (at the close of the last chapter, v. 14) by stating he had always triumphed in the success which he had, and that God always blessed his labors. He alluded especially to his sincerity as contrasted with the conduct of some false teachers dwelling in Corinth. Of course, his point wasn't to justify himself. In fact, Paul suggested if the Corinthian church would only look at what God had done in their lives they would see themselves a proof that God had blessed Paul's ministry. Their very lives were a letter God had written on Paul's heart by the Holy Spirit...

But Paul didn't take any credit. He only used their evidence to authenticate that his ministry was truly from God. The actual outcome was all due to the power of God. In reality, if the Corinthian church only followed Paul's commands (which were many) they would surely perish in their sin because obedience is not salvation. What redeemed them was their willingness to turn their lives over to God and let His Holy Spirit control them.  

Paul offered a simple explanation that countless people never really comprehend. For the letter (slavish devotion to the 10 Commandments) kills, but the Spirit (the presence of God living within us...through believing Christ's atonement for our sin) gives life. The dramatic turn-around in their lives proved they were following the Holy Spirit, not Paul. Now, here is the lesson for you and me: Are we simply trying to follow a bunch of rules in order to make God Happy If so, don't bother. A redemptive relationship with God is characterized by recognizing God's Holy Spirit has the right to control every facet of our lives.  

Our lives are a letter to those around us. The question is simple: What does your letter say?

Live boldly out there today...