2 Corinthians, Chapter 3
© Copyright 2003 Darroll Evans, all
rights reserved
2 Corinthians 3:1 Do we begin again to
commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you,
or letters of commendation from you?
Paul asked the Corinthians, "Do I need
to tell you again that I am a true servant of God? Or, do I need some letters
of recommendation from others to impress you?"
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ
ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God;
not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
Their changed lives were the true letters of
recommendation that Paul had.
The depth of a person's allegiance to Christ
is apparent to all.
If the word of God is not written on an
individual's heart, it is not in effect.
2 Corinthians 3:4-6
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves;
but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter,
but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
The trust we have is through (a reflection
of) the Son toward the Father.
Have you ever wondered why the Holy Spirit
"indwells" believers?
All true change comes from within. It never
comes from outside.
Years ago, after WWII, a man known as Marshal
Tito gained control of a fragmented territory,
When he died, the centuries of hatred
surfaced and war broke out. The nation was split. All those years of peace were
only superficial.
There was no true peace. Former allies tried
to kill each other. Boyhood friends became archenemies.
We should not be surprised. The unconverted
are filled with hate.
At this writing, many outwardly religious
people are trying to kill anyone and everyone they can, because of hatred in
their hearts.
The unconverted (be they Christian, Muslim,
or whatever) are also unloving. Christ Jesus is the basis or all true love.
No person, not even Church attendees can
truly love until they are converted to Christ Jesus.
God so loved the world that He sent His only
begotten Son that if Muhammad would believe in Him Muhammad would not perish
but have everlasting life.
Unfortunately, Muhammad said,
"No!"
2 Corinthians 3:7-8
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face
of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
Ministration (Gr. diakonia-diakonia) refers to the working of an office, or an
administration.
The Law of Moses is the administration of death. The Law is good, but not good
enough to save a single person. The Law is meant as a guide to maintaining
relationships.
Christ Jesus' purpose and power concerns the
giving of life!
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn
the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
2 Corinthians 3:9 For if the ministration
of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness
exceed in glory.
The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus
greatly supersedes the law of Moses!
2 Corinthians 3:10 For even that which was
made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that
excelleth.
There is glory, and there is
GLORY! The GLORY of God is the greatest.
2 Corinthians 3:11 For if that which is
done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
If the old law of Moses was powerful and to
be honored, how much more so is the new Law of Life?
2 Corinthians 3:12-14
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of
Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail
untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in
Christ.
My favorite commentary writer is the late Dr.
George Manford Gutzke. His series is titled "Plain Talk On…"
Plain talk requires boldness. We should be
bold in our commitment to Jesus.
Moses put a veil over his face so the
Israelites could not see the reflected glory of God. It finally faded.
Jesus' glory does not fade.
To this day, most (but not all) Jews do not
know that Jesus came to save them.
In Jewish hatred, and religious hardness,
they reject salvation. The name "Jesus" has many translations. The
one I prefer is "Yahweh's Salvation."
2 Corinthians 3:15-16
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
Even if the Jews of today do not see Jesus as
their Messiah, they shall. One day their sight shall be restored.
The story is told in Acts:
Acts 13:9-11
9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked
intently at him
10 and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil,
you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways
of the Lord?
11 "And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be
blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a
dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the
hand. (NKJV)
The key phrase in this section from Acts is
"for a time." It indicates blindness or a limited period.
The key to the section from 2 Corinthians is
found in 2 Corinthians 3:16. There, it
says, “when it shall turn to the
Lord.” It refers to the hearts of
the Jews. Each heart of each individual Jew. “It shall turn” (Gr. epistrepsee-epistreyh) speaks of
conversion. 3:16 says, when the heart is converted to the Lord, the veil
of blindness will be taken away. That is
true of all Jews and Gentiles.
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that
Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
In this verse, the word translated
"liberty" speaks of moral freedom. It is not freedom from moral
righteousness, but freedom to be morally righteous.
At this moment most of humanity is bound by
(held captive by) moral perversion. Christ came to change that. God's
plan in Christ Jesus is on time and on target.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
We who follow Christ Jesus have had the veil
removed from our faces so that we may see Him. We may see with what I call blur
discrimination, but we see him!
God's Holy Spirit has restored our sight. And
our sight shall improve in due time.
1 Corinthians 13:12---"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then
face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known" (KJV).