2 Corinthians Chapter 3
When I started reading the first few verses of this chapter, I cast my mind to the events that happened yesterday and today.
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
~ 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ~
I am now in Petaling Jaya, after attending the wedding ceremony of my niece in Subang church. Yesterday, I had attended the Sabbath service in the PJ church – a church I had not the opportunity to visit for more than 30 years after my last visit. And today, I had the opportunity to see the very modern looking Subang church.
Besides the wedding, the highlight for me was to be able to meet so many Malaysian members whom I too have not seen for so many years. Some were familiar faces but names I had long forgotten (to my embarrassment that they remembered my name). Some were still the same old faces – it was as if time had stopped. Some have changed a great deal.
But in all of this, I truly thank God to see that they are all still faithfully serving in the house of the Lord. And to see so many members coming together in worship, both from Malaysia and Singapore, singing hymns of praises loudly (how come we cannot sing so loudly in Singapore?), it was truly uplifting.
Now how does all this relate to the first few verses of this chapter?
It was truly remarkable to read that there are people who demanded for a letter of commendation of Paul.
Paul had been their spiritual teacher, guiding them to Christ and yet, now, they were saying that perhaps Paul needed a letter from maybe Peter, James and John, to show that he the right to come to them and teach them.
And Paul responded by asking if they really meant it…. after all, the members at Corinth as his letter of commendation!
This letter of commendation is not written with ink on paper. But this is a letter that Christ had written in their hearts. The words are inscribed by the Spirit of God into their heart of flesh.
The members at Corinth had underwent a transformation in their lives. Now, many of them were free from their past evil deeds (described in detail in 1 Cor 6), and all this happened because Christ had changed them.
The Spirit gives life (verse 6). Not because we are qualified by ourselves, but because of “… where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (verse 17).
And…
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (verse 18)
Let us go back to verses 4-6.
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (ESV)
Here Paul speaks of a new covenant. This is something that the world does not know and is very different from how the world sees things.
Some would view Paul as a model of success because he dedicated his life to the service of God, using all his past training (under the feet of Gamaliel) and learnings, resources as a Roman citizen etc. But to Paul, he would always say that nothing comes from him. It was not modesty but because he truly knew that everything comes from God.
How he had helped changed lives. How he had led many gentiles to know the Lord. How he had performed many miracles, healing the sick etc… it was not his own ability but God at work in him.
Paul is truly a picture of contrast between the old covenant and new covenant.
Before Paul was called by Christ, he was in the old covenant, where he was trying to do his best on behalf of God – thinking his zeal is what God wanted.
But after his road to Damascus, he was in the new covenant, where God was now working through him to do God’s best work!
What a great contrast and difference! This is what we all need to understand today.
All of us, whether we are church preachers or deacons, church leaders, or ordinary members – we are all called to be a minister of the new covenant, where the Spirit of the Lord gives life – for God to work in us and not for us to depend on ourselves to work for God.
I saw many examples of this during this short trip. And I believe there are also many examples back home.
We just need to remind ourselves that we are an epistle of Christ. A letter to show others how the life of Christ had transformed us and will also transform others.
And this reminds me of a song called “You’re the Only Jesus”. We are, at times, the only letter that some would ever read to know about Jesus.
As you listen to this song, consider how you can also change a life today.