Paul's Letters 2 Corinthians

Paul's Ministry

Discover Jesus as: Treasure 2 Corinthians 3 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 521 of 730
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INTRO

The first seven chapters of 2 Corinthians describe and affirm Paul’s role as an apostle to pour into the church at Corinth. In spite of the problems in the church in Corinth, Paul still believed in them like a parent believes in a child.

TEACHING

2 Corinthians 3:1-3: Paul asked if the Corinthians needed letters of recommendation from other churches or individuals to validate his ministry. The Corinthians themselves were Paul’s letter of recommendation. They had turned to other apostles and taken on practices of the culture because they did not like the instruction Paul provided them. The proof of Paul’s ministry wasn’t in the things he knew. It was in the impact his ministry had on people like those in the church in Corinth.

Our word for 2 Corinthians is Treasure. Because of the treasure in them, the Corinthian church was meant to reflect Christ. They were Christ’s letter to the world. They needed people to pour into them for accountability and their spiritual growth. The Corinthians were a letter written by the Spirit, not with ink. “So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit”(1 Corinthians 15:45). The Corinthians were given life through God’s Spirit, not through any external code written on stone tablets.

2 Corinthians 3:4–6: Paul was not being arrogant in stating that the Corinthians were the proof of his ministry. Instead, his confidence was found in Christ. Paul recognized his competence in his ministry came from God. God made him a minister of the new covenant of the Spirit, which produced life.

Second Corinthians was likely written before A.D. 70.1 If 2 Corinthians was written before A.D. 70, then the temple was still standing. It is possible the Corinthians might have been struggling with how to blend the worlds of faith in Jesus and the Mosaic Law.2

But Paul was a minister of the New Covenant, which Paul argued produced life. In contrast, the letter (Law) killed. “Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the Law” (Galatians 3:21). The law simply could not produce life, but the Spirit could.

“‘The days are coming’— this is the Lord’s declaration—‘when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I be attentive to build and to plant them’ says the Lord. ‘In those days, it will never again be said: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. Rather, each will die for his own wrongdoing. Anyone who eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge. ‘Look, the days are coming’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them’—the Lord’s declaration. ‘Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days’—the Lord’s declaration. ‘I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people’”(Jeremiah 31:27–34).

Paul commanded the Corinthians to stop blending the old with the new.

2 Corinthians 3:7–11: While the Law was characterized as “the ministry of death,” Paul acknowledged that it still came with glory. Moses’ face shone with the glory of God when he received the Law. However, Moses covered his face to hide the fact that God’s glory faded off his face after some time. Wiersbe noted six deficiencies of the Law:

  1. The Law could not justify the lost sinner—“know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16).
  2. The Law could not give the sinner righteousness—“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing” (Galatians 2:21).

The Law could not give the Holy Spirit—“I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:2)?

The Law could not give an inheritance—“For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise” (Galatians 3:18).

The Law could not give life—“Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law” (Galatians 3:21).

The Law could not give freedom—“But in the past, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You observe special days, months, seasons, and years” (Galatians 4:8–10).3

The new covenant’s glory was much greater than that of the old.

2 Corinthians 3:12–18: Those under the law read the law as though a veil was over their faces. Their understanding has been darkened, and it could only be removed by professing faith in Christ. Paul made these comments as someone whose heart broke over his fellow countrymen, “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit—that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart. For I could almost wish to be cursed and cut off from the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood” (Romans 9:1–3). Paul understood better than most the reality that the law brought death. He knew what was at stake, and he was willing to go to almost any lengths to see his Jewish brothers and sisters come to faith in Jesus.

Paul concluded the chapter by pointing out believers had access to God’s very presence through the ministry of the Spirit. Moses had to climb a mountain to experience the presence of the Lord, but followers of Christ can experience God’s presence anywhere, anytime. The “mirror” to which Paul referred was the Word of God. As believers look to God’s Word we are transformed into the image of God in Christ, who lives inside believers.4

CLOSING

The result of the old covenant was death and bondage to sin. The result of the new covenant is life and freedom in Christ.

  1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), p. 1614.

  2. Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament (Nashville, David C Cook, 2007) p. 510.

  3. Wiersbe, p. 510.

  4. Wiersbe, p. 511.

Questions

  1. What were the Judaizers boasting about? What did they accuse Paul of? What did Paul say was the proof of his ministry’s authenticity? (Jeremiah 31:33; 32:38–39; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26–27)
  2. Since Paul was a smart and well-educated man, why did he not rely on his own adequacy (Acts 22:3)? Is there anything you are leaning on more than the adequacy that comes from God?
  3. What are four characteristics of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3? What did Paul describe when he mentioned the Spirit of the Lord?
  4. What happens when a preacher keeps a congregation under rules and regulations of the law? What happens when there is unhealthy competition between Christians? What is the only way a life can be transformed and have freedom?
  5. Compare 2 Corinthians 3:7–11 and Exodus 34:29–35. Why is the new covenant of grace far more superior to the old covenant? (Galatians 2:16, 21; 3:2, 18, 21; 4:8–10)
  6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in 2 Corinthians 3 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin 2 Corinthians 3:15–17

“Even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Paul emphasized to the Corinthian church the ministry of the Spirit versus living under the Law. He described the Jewish people as having a veil covering their hearts to the truth and freedom found in Jesus Christ. However, with faith, God can remove the veil over anyone’s heart. And when He does, freedom is found. Jesus came with a new covenant of grace and love. The Spirit of the Lord gives freedom.

Have you thought about the freedom you have in the Lord? Or do you find yourself still striving to keep up, do better, and find competence in yourself? The truth is you don’t have to do more for God. Your competence comes from Him. He came to set you free. Imagine a five-year-old child running freely in a field with a fence around it. The fence around the open space protects the child from harm. But inside the fence, the child can run, play, and spin in circles with freedom and enjoyment. That same picture is for you today. Child of God, twirl around in the freedom you have in Christ. Cease striving and know God’s got you just as you are. Be confident in His love for you and the freedom you have in the Spirit of the Lord.

“Even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

— 2 Corinthians 3:15–17

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • John 8:36 — “Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”
  • Acts 13:38–39 — “Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, and everyone who believes in Him is justified from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.”
  • 2 Corinthians 3:4–6a— “We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ. It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God. He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit.”