[:en]SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 3
“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are all 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” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)
“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God” (2 Corinthians 3:4-5)
“For what was glorious have no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:10)
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord; who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Some Jewish factions at Corinth said that Paul was not a true apostle because he did not have letter of commendation from the church at Jerusalem. They discredited Paul for lack of credential.
Paul wrote this letter to contrast the Gospel of grace with the Law of Moses:
- God wrote Moses’ Law on stones which is external, which could fade and which could not change lives. But God writes His Word in our hearts which dwells internally and permanently that can change people’s lives (vs. 1-3)
- The Law brought condemnation and death, but God’s Word brings grace and life (vs. 4-6)
- The Law of Moses had glory, but it was a fading glory. The Gospel has abounding glory that lasts forever (vs. 7-13)
- The Law of Moses was an old covenant of works and bondage but the Word of God is a new covenant of glorious liberty in Christ. This liberty is freedom from fear and religious practices. All believers can come into God’s presence to enjoy His glory and grace. (vs. 17-18)
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