Call to Commitment

Over the Corinthian Canal. Finished in 1893.

 Ministers of the New Covenant

1.    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. 

4.     And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 

5.     Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 

6.     who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

7.     But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 

8.     how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 

9.     For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 

10.  For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 

11.  For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 

12.  Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 

13.  unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 

14.  But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 

15.  But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 

16.  Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 

17.  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

18.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

 Because the gospel is something that is lived from the inside out, external measures are eliminated. Letters of commendation are not necessary among real Christians and those who demand such measures are not real Christians. Under Paul´s apostleship, so that someone could be recognized as a true Christian, or a leader should be recognized as a true leader, writing letters commending them was not needed. Christianity is heart religion and does not rely on external, carnal practices (v. 1).

 Therefore in verse 2, the commendation is from the heart and Christians know one another to be legitimate believers, because of the testimony that comes from their hearts. The testimony of their veracity is seen by their lives and not by outward indications or visible signs. We learn that under the new covenant, this is the principle that is operating among the Corinthians and should operate among all true Christians. 

Paul wants to clearly teach this principle, and he spells it out in verse 3 that Christ writes His letters in the heart by the Holy Spirit. He lives within and conducts the life and conduct of the one that He possesses. It is characteristic of Paul’s teaching that spiritual reality centers in the inner core of the human being. No true spirituality exists, because a person’s name is written on a church role. Christians recognize each other, not by denomination or by the church they attend, but through a new nature in Christ Jesus. An old chorus used to be sung among the old saints…

 “I care not what church you belong to,

Just as long as for Calvary you stand;

If today your heart is as my heart,

You’re my brother so give me your hand.”

 It is not a matter of self-confidence, nor is it borne out through self-discipline or high human character. It is faith or trust in the character of Christ living within (v. 4). It is all based, 100%, on the work of God, not on self-sufficiency. It is not a human manifestation, but divine life, living in human flesh (v. 5). The ministry in these Christian circles is not based on the realm of human capability, but the entire capability comes from God. There is no human talent, impressive though it may be, that is sufficient for divine service. The Holy Spirit empowers and anoints the minister from on high. This, and this alone, defines ministry under the New Testament and anything that operates outside of these characteristics, is not Christianity.

 The letter, in verse 6, needs some clarification. It does refer to the written work and study of the works of mere men, but we will see by the context, that Paul is referring, specifically, to the Ten Commandments. He is not referring to the Scriptures, in general, for they are designed to give life. Gospel ministry will always bring life, not death.

 The law, and especially, the Ten Commandments, were engraved in stones and were intended to show the sinner that he had not, and could not, keep them. They were glorious, to the point that Moses’ face shone upon receiving them. The fact that the Israelites could not look upon his face was typical of their inability to look into the law and keep it. The glory of the law was a temporal glory, and it was never intended to give life (v. 7).

 The Holy Spirit was poured out for life, upon the New Testament and the New Testament believer. Although it excels in glory over the Old Testament law (v. 8), it takes the Holy Spirit to empower all believers, in order that they may gaze into it. In verse 9, the law is termed the ministry of condemnation. Its purpose was to condemn, and it was necessary that it should do so. We need to see now this purpose, as Paul defined it in his doctrine: “We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Ro. 3:19) It was necessary that every mouth that would justify itself be stopped, and every man be found guilty before God.  The law in the New Testament is an immense study, but we only want to see why it is necessary. I will only quote one other text to that end.  The purpose of the law is not to justify, but to reveal sin: “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Ro. 3:20). The law teaches sin, that every man may know that he is a sinner. The law brings condemnation, because only the condemned sinner can be saved.

 In verse 9 as well, the gospel is termed the ministry of righteousness. It so outshines the ministry of condemnation that the glory of condemnation is dimmed in its glow. The ministry of righteousness is the excelling glory that nullifies the effect of the condemning glory upon a life, which now basks in the glow of salvation (v. 10). The passing glory of condemnation is terminated, when the gospel shines upon a life and remains upon it for eternity (v. 11).

 The gospel offers powerful hope, so powerful that it can be proclaimed with certainty. It shouts, “I am free from condemnation. I felt its grip upon my life, which condemned me, but the overwhelming light of the gospel erased the power it had upon me, The gospel is the power of God unto eternal salvation, and there is henceforth no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” (v. 12)

 The veil upon Moses’ face symbolizes a blindness to those, who were mesmerized by its glow. It was like the veil of the temple, which blinded the one who approached, so he could not see the Holy of Holies. Through the work of Christ, the veil was split from top to bottom, and then the observer could gaze inside. The veil was removed forever and the way was opened forever to the presence of God (v. 13).

 Though that veil was effectively removed at the cross, the unbeliever who rejects Jesus Christ remains blinded, because the veil can only be removed by Christ (v. 14). He remains under the Old Testament, and insists on  rejecting the purpose of the Old Testament. This is what Jesus meant, when He said to the Jews, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (Jn. 5:39-40).

 In spite of the power of the finished work of Christ on the cross, Paul says, the veil remains for the unbelieving Jew. We can maintain with total certainty that it remains into the 21st Century upon every religionist, who refuses to look only to Christ for its removal. If he adds another object or person to trust in, it will veil him from salvation. The veil remains for everyone who cannot see the total-sufficiency of Jesus (v. 15).

 No one has to remain in his blindness, because the veil can be removed. He cannot see, because he holds stubbornly to the veil. That object or that person that I mentioned in the last paragraph is the source of his blindness and unless it is removed, it will remain eternally. Let go of it! It’s not worth your loyalty. But I want to repeat it… the veil can come off, if you will release it! (v. 16). You will wonder at the light that will enter your life when you remove it. Therefore Paul says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light" (Eph. 5:14).

The One, Who frees us from blindness and all bondage and brings us into the realm of clear revelation and liberty, is the Spirit of God. Liberty is an attribute of God and it characterizes the Kingdom of God.  Paul teaches that the believer comes into this realm, which is not bound to human possibilities, where the barren is fruitful without a husband (Gal. 4:27). She is outside the realm of fleshly rules. You will also observe, that the earthly, born after the flesh, the religionists, will persecute those, who are born after the Spirit. They are jealous of their heavenly calling, their freedom and supernatural qualities.

 The Christian is born according to the promises of God, and the promises that God gives are simply the things that He foreknew and foreordained, according to His will. God promised to Abraham and Sarah the child, Isaac. The one who was born into bondage, was the one born according to Abraham and Sarah’s plan and was limited to fleshly, earthly possibilities.  He was born after the flesh and was subject to the rules of the flesh and “the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman” (Gal. 4:30).  He that is born of God, is born from above and has citizenship in the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the land of true liberty (v, 17).

From mountain, overlooking Corinth

There is a spiritual principle involved in verse 18, which teaches that by seeing the glory of the Lord, you will be transformed from one degree of glory to another, by the Holy Spirit, into His image. All those born of God, have removed the veil and have seen the glory of the Lord, including the born-again Corinthians. Jesus told His disciples: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (Jn. 6:63). These words must be divinely taught, as Peter was, when he confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16) for Jesus said in the next verse “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 16:17). Then He said, “On this rock I will build My church” (Mt. 16:18), meaning that He would build His church, from those, to whom it would be revealed, by the Spirit, that He was the Christ. But the one who is getting his doctrine from man, and not by heaven’s Teacher, knows nothing of spiritual truth… the flesh profits nothing.