Second Corinthians 2 and 3
Monday, April 20 2 Corinthians 2:12-16
“God uses us tospread the gospel of Christ”
The section of 2 Corinthians beginninghere and going to the middle of the sixth chapter deals with Christianministry. While Paul was defining anddefending his work in Corinth, he was giving us a measuring stick for allministry done in the church, whether by laity or by clergy. The section begins with Paul stating that hehad “no peace of mind” as he waited for a report on how the church hadresponded to his first letter to them.
In verse 14 Paul’s apprehension is liftedand he breaks into praise of God. Possibly Titus had arrived at that point with good news, but whateverthe cause it set the context for the whole discussion of his ministry. It became his point of reference for allthings. It’s remarkable that with allthe pressure, persecution, and opposition he had experienced that Paul wouldthink of his ministry in terms of triumph and not defeat. This vision of the ultimate triumph of Godand of the gospel gave him a platform from which to view in a different lightall that was involved in his work. Thebasis for all Christian ministry is the glory of God, and he will be glorifiedby all that is sincerely done in the name of Christ.
Ministry done in your name, Lord, willalways bring blessing. Amen.
Tuesday, April 21 2 Corinthians 2:17 – 3:3
“The only letterof recommendation we need is you yourselves”
I am periodically asked to write a letterof introduction or recommendation for someone in our congregation. Such letters were especially important in thedays of the early church. This was theonly way fledgling congregations had of knowing whether a new prophet orteacher who appeared on the scene had the right credentials and could betrusted.
Apparently some strangers had shown up inCorinth with an impressive letter of introduction from someone in Jerusalem andhad been received into the confidence of the church on the basis of theletter. They had quickly begun to becritical of Paul and his ministry and had even asked the church if Paul hadcome to them with a letter of introduction such as they had, implying that Paulwas a man without proper credentials. Inreality, their implications were outrageous because when Paul first arrived inCorinth, there was no church. He foundedit and it was the product of his ministry. Paul’s response to his detractors was that he didn’t need a letter ofintroduction, for the believers in Corinth were his credentials.
The“credentials” of our faith, Lord, are those who have experienced your lovethrough us. Amen.
Wednesday, April 22 2 Corinthians 3:4-6
“Our qualification comes from God”
One senses that even as Paul was defendinghis credentials as an Apostle from the criticisms of his opponents, he isfearful that he is taking too much credit for himself. With this in mind he explains “our qualificationcomes from God.” He was making the pointthat the real change in the lives of the Corinthian Christians had been thework of God rather than of himself, and that God had merely allowed him to bethe minister through whom it had all happened.
This work that God is doing in people’slives is the work of the “new covenant,” a term Paul takes from the prophetJeremiah: “’The day is coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenantwith the people of Israel and Judah . . . I will put my laws deep within them,and I will write them on their hearts’” (Jeremiah 31: 31, 33). The old covenant was an external set of lawsthat people were commanded to obey, but they failed to do so. The new covenant is the internal law of “LoveGod – love your neighbor,” which we are able to obey through the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your Spirit who lives in me, Lord,enabling me to love you and others. Amen.
Thursday, April 23 2 Corinthians 3:7-11
“The old ministry vs. the new ministry”
Exodus chapters32 through 34 are Paul’s backdrop for verses 7 through 18 of this chapter. In the Exodus story, in response to Israel’ssin with the golden calf, Moses broke the tablets on which God had written the TenCommandments. Although Israel had beenrescued from slavery in Egypt, her idolatry revealed that she was stillenslaved to sin. As a result, the “oldministry” of the commandments failed in its purpose, which was for the peopleto be holy through obedience to the laws of God, and the result was death.
The “newministry” of the Spirit, unlike the “old ministry” of the law, is able to makepeople holy, and the result is life. Wearen’t made holy through obedience but by God’s grace through faith – that is,when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are “born again” bythe Holy Spirit, transformed into people who are righteous before God, and nowenabled by the Spirit to obey God. Thus,while the glory of God shone in the giving of the Ten Commandments, his gloryshines all the more in the giving of his Son.
I reflect yourglory, Lord, for you have given me life by your Spirit. Amen.
Friday, April 24 2 Corinthians 3:12-15
“We can be verybold”
The word translated “bold” is a technicalterm from the political realm that was associated with freedom and truth. In moral contexts, such as this, it refers toa shamelessness in one’s behavior that leads to a free, courageous, and openmanner of speech. The power of theSpirit in Paul’s ministry has made Paul fearless and forthright in hisproclamation of the gospel. Ultimately,this boldness arises from his assurance that his life and labors derive fromGod’s grace, that they are being carried out in God’s presence, and that theywill be blameless before God’s judgment.
The fact that most of Israel is rejectingthe gospel indicates that she remains in the same hardened condition that hascharacterized her history ever since her idolatry with the golden calf duringthe Exodus from Egypt. The very One whomthey reject is the only One who can remove their blindness. Only by believing in Christ can the Spiritremove the heart of stone. Thus, whenIsrael reads her own Scriptures, she stubbornly refuses to see Jesus as thepromised Messiah.
May we not be ashamed but bold, Lord, insharing the gospel with others. Amen.
Saturday, April 25 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
“All of us who have had the veil removed”
Having spoken tothe issue of Israel’s rejection of the gospel in verses 14-15, Paul now speaksof those who have responded to Christ in faith. He begins in verse 16 by paraphrasing Exodus 34:34, which contrastsMoses’ veiling himself before the people with his practice of removing the veilwhen he spoke with the Lord in the tent of meeting. This again highlights the contrast betweenIsrael’s inability to encounter God’s glory because of her “stiff-necked”state, which necessitated the use of the veil (which symbolizes the spiritual“blind spot” of the Israelites), and Moses’ ability to encounter the glory ofGod unveiled as one whose heart had been transformed by the Spirit.
But whereas inExodus 34:34 it was Moses who entered before the Lord unveiled, in 2Corinthians 3:16 “anyone [who] turns to the Lord” has the veil taken away. And whereas in Exodus 34:34 Moses removes theveil, in 2 Corinthians 3:16 “the veil is taken away” by God. For believers, as for Moses, the veil hasbeen removed from their “hardened mind” as a result of having their “heart ofstone” removed by the Spirit.
Ipraise you, Lord, for healing my spiritual “blind spot” so I can see youclearly. Amen.