Free Bible Commentary
“2 Corinthians 3:1-6”
Categories: 2 Corinthians“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.”
---End of Scripture Verses---
Quoting Eric Parker on today’s verses. I don’t think I can improve any on what he wrote in his lesson book. First his commentary on verses 1-3:
“Following a vivid word picture to depict the work of Paul and his fellow evangelists (1 Corinthians 2:12-17), he employs yet another for the Corinthians. Paul rebukes the brethren for accepting letters of commendation ‘for some’ while not valuing the direct work of Paul and company amongst the church of God at Corinth. Paul’s entourage possessed a superior letter composed of the brethren at Corinth and written upon the evangelists’ hearts. They were ‘letters of Christ, cared for’ by Paul and friends, ‘written with the Spirit of the living God’ (v. 3).
“Letters of commendation were not unusual among the ancients (e.g. the Zenon Papyri 2026). Letters of commendation were also not unusual in the NT (e.g. Acts 9:2 // 22:5; cf. also Acts 18:27f; Rom. 16:1f; 1 Cor. 16:10f; 2 Cor. 8:16-24; Col. 4:7-9). Letters of commendation were typically given in cases of unfamiliarity; consequently, the accusatory teachers were relatively unknown to the brethren. Paul, on the other hand, required no such letters because of his intimate connection with the church. Thus their requirement for him to present these letters is nonsensical.”
Now Eric’s commentary on verses 4-6:
“The evangelists’ confidence was grounded in the Lord. While the Corinthians may have supplanted the year and a half Paul spent with them (Acts 18:11) with slanderous lies, Christ never would. Yet, Paul and his compatriots did not take undue credit: ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth’ (1 Cor. 3:6). Paul had no qualms about recognizing the Lord’s purpose for him. Paul and the other teachers were vessels of honor, profitable to God (2 Tim. 2:20f). We should never faint under the accusations of the enemy; moreover, we must recognize their source is Satan himself. His wiles and schemes are ‘under the belt’ and he will use whatever means available to defame our character and muckrake God’s servants. Paul’s role (and ours!) is to serve ‘a new covenant of life and Spirit.’”
We will look at “the letter that kills” and “the Spirit that gives life” (verse 6) in tomorrow’s reading.
Please read 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
- Louie Taylor
