7-7-19 Sermon Notes
“Competence” – 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
Introduction
Last week, we read about what it takes to be a pleasing aroma to those around us. This week (week six of the thirteen-week series “The Real Deal”) continues with a clarification by Paul that his competence as a minister came from the work of God in his life.
Read 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 (NIV)
3 “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
Message
Introduction
We were left last week with the question posed by Paul in verses 16 and 17 in chapter 1 of 2 Corinthians. 16:”To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?
17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”
What now follows provides us with Paul’s answer to who is equal or competent to the task of bringing the Gospel to others as well who is the force behind it.
So, here we go…..“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?” (v. 1) Paul is sensitive to any charge that he is guilty of self-promotion. His consistent purpose has been the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ Jesus––not self-serving.
Paul and his coworkers have no need to commend themselves to the Corinthians––or to seek a letter of recommendation from someone else to establish their credentials with them. The Corinthians know them personally because of their earlier visit to Corinth
“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.” (v. 2) The Corinthian Christians are themselves Paul’s letter of recommendation. It is because of his ministry that they came to know Christ.
“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, (v. 3a). The Corinthians served as Paul’s letter of recommendation, a letter written by Christ, served (diakoneo) by Paul and his colleagues.
Notice the similarity between the Greek word diakoneo and our English word deacon. Those words have to do with service, such as waiting on a table or serving another person’s needs.
Paul and his colleagues went to great lengths to serve the religious needs of the Corinthians, living among them and interacting with them on a daily basis. As they traveled elsewhere, they maintained an ongoing correspondence with the Corinthian church.
“written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God,” (v. 3b). Paul exercised his ministry among the Corinthians by the power of the Holy Spirit, so the Corinthians could credit their faith journey to the work of the Spirit.
“not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (v. 3c) Paul evoked the memory of Moses receiving the tablets of stone containing the law on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20)––tablets which Moses smashed when he came to the foot of the mountain and found the Israelites worshiping a golden calf of their own making (Exodus 32:15-19).
The letter that speaks of the work of Paul and his colleagues was written instead on hearts of flesh––the hearts of the Corinthian Christians.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:4-6. OUR SUFFICIENCY IS FROM GOD
4 “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
“Such confidence (Greek: popoitheseos) we have through Christ before God” (v. 4). The Greek word popoitheseos means trust or confidence or conviction. To read about Paul’s experiences as he traveled widely proclaiming the Gospel is to see a determination that could spring only from his conviction that the message he was proclaiming was the source of life to all who would hear and believe.
“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” (v. 5) Paul’s confidence was not self-confidence, but was instead confidence in God whom he served and who enabled him for the task to which he had been called.
“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (v. 6). The term “new covenant” is significant. The first covenant was established by God with Noah, and promised that “never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:9-15). 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”
The next covenant was established between God and Abram. God required of Abram that he leave his father’s house and go to the land that God would show him. In return, God promised to make of Abram a great nation and to bless him and to make him a blessing to all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” While the word covenant was not used in that transaction, it bears the marks of a covenant, because God outlined what Abram would have to do and what God would do for Abram. Later, God covenanted to give the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates to Abram (Genesis 15:18). Still later, God covenanted with Abram to make him the father of many nations, even though Abram was old and had no children other than Ishmael, his son by a slave woman. As part of the covenant, God promised to give Abram the land of Canaan. God required Abram to observe circumcision for himself and for all his male offspring and members of his household, including slaves (Genesis 17:1-14).
God renewed this covenant with Moses (Exodus 19-24) and Joshua (Joshua 24) and Jehoiada (2 Kings 11) and Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:10 and Josiah (2 Kings 23:3) and David (2 Samuel 7:12-17).
These covenants were all preliminary to the covenant established by Jesus (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25). Jeremiah prophesied the coming of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This prophecy was fulfilled at the Last Supper, where Jesus said, “this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28; see also Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 8:8-12).
This new covenant is based on Jesus’ death and resurrection, which breaks the bonds of death for us who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord.
Paul contrasts the written law (presumably meaning the Torah) with the Spirit (see also 2 Corinthians 2:5-11