EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 3:1-18
God shows his Power when we are Weak
2 Corinthians
Philip Smith
Chapter 3
v1 But we are not trying to recommend ourselves. And we do not need letters to recommend us, like some people. v2 You are like our letter. It is as if our recommendation is on us for everyone to know and to read. v3 Your lives are like a letter from Christ. This is the result of our *ministry. He did not write his letter with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. He did not write it on stone but deep inside living human people.
Paul did not have anything from outside to prove that he was an *apostle. He was not one of the 12 *disciples. The Christians at Jerusalem had not written a letter about him. He could only say that God had called him to be an *apostle. Then it seemed as if he was recommending himself. In fact, he was not.
The false teachers had letters from other churches. These letters said how good they were. They wanted the Christians at Corinth to write similar letters to recommend them. Then the false teachers could go on to other places. Paul had no letter. But the church at Corinth was better than a letter. Many of the Christians at Corinth had lived bad lives before they became Christians. However, their lives had changed. Now they were different. Other people could see the results. A church leader did not achieve these results. Christ himself did. It was as if the Spirit of God had written the letter. People could see the truth of this because of the new lives of the *believers. The *Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) were on blocks of stone. The Spirit wrote this letter inside human people.
‘The things that made Paul suitable are not on paper but in persons’ (C.F.D. Moule).
v4 We can say this because we trust in God by Christ. v5 We cannot say that we are able to do any of this work by ourselves. It is God who helps us to do it. v6 He made us able to be servants of the new agreement. We do not just do what the law says. We depend on the Spirit. The law causes death, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul now explains why he was so confident. God had changed peoples’ lives at Corinth. So Paul was sure that God had chosen him. Paul had not changed their lives. God had done this by Christ. Paul was now God’s servant of the new agreement. Jesus made this new agreement between God and people when he died for us. The old agreement said that people must obey God’s laws. People were not strong enough to do this. The new agreement gave the Spirit. The Spirit helps people to obey God’s laws. The old agreement caused death because people could not obey the laws. God did not forgive them when they did not obey the laws. But now the Spirit helps us to obey God’s laws and so he brings life.
v7 The *ministry which brought death came with *glory. God cut the words of the law in letters out of stone. The *Israelites could not look at the *glory in the face of Moses. They could not do this although it was *fading. v8 The *ministry of the Spirit will be even more *glorious. v9 The law which brings death was *glorious. The *ministry that brings a right *relationship between God and people is even more *glorious. v10 What was *glorious in the past seems to have no *glory now. There is a much greater *glory now. v11 What was disappearing came with *glory. That which will last always has much greater *glory.
Paul talks about the difference between the old agreement and the new agreement. People opposed him. They talked about the old agreement by Moses. They said that it was the same as, or even better than, the agreement by Jesus. Perhaps the Christian *Jews at *Corinth still wanted Christians to obey the old law. They did not want them to follow the new agreement. Paul said that the old agreement was *glorious. However, God only intended it to last for a short time. The new agreement of the Spirit was even more *glorious. The old agreement could only bring death. It told people what to do. It could not help them to do it. As a result, God would *condemn them. The new agreement would bring life. The Spirit gave people power to do what God wanted. The new agreement in Jesus was more *glorious than the old one. They could not go back to the past.
v12 Because we have this hope, we are very bold. v13 We are not like Moses. Moses had to cover his face so that people would not see the *glory. They could not look at the *glory although it was *fading. v14 They did not understand. Even today, that cover is still over their minds. This happens when they read the books of the old agreement. The cover is still there. God only takes it away when someone trusts Christ. v15 When they read the books of Moses today, the cover is still over their minds. v16 But when someone turns to the *Lord, the cover disappears. v17 Now the *Lord is the Spirit. Where the Spirit of the *Lord is present, there is freedom. v18 There is no cover over our faces. So we see God’s *glory clearly. That *glory changes us. We become more and more like him. This *glory comes from the *Lord, who is the Spirit.
Paul said that he had every right to be bold. The reason was that he had this hope of *glory. Moses covered his face so that people would not see God’s *glory. The people were not able to look at God’s *glory, although that *glory was *fading. The old agreement was only for a short time. The *Jews did not understand the books of Moses when they read them. It was really as if they had covers over their minds. God only removed the cover when they trusted Christ. Then they found that Jesus gave them his goodness. This was what the law ordered. What Moses wrote was true and great, but it was not complete. When Jesus came, he gave us God’s complete truth.
The old agreement is like a step to *glory. The new agreement is the complete *glory. ‘The *Lord is the Spirit’ means this: The God of the *Old Testament has shown himself as Father, Son and *Holy Spirit. When the Spirit works in a person’s life, they serve God. They do not do this because they have to. They do it because they want to. Their attitude is different. They see God’s *glory clearly in Christ. They find that the *glory changes them. They become more and more like Jesus as the *Holy Spirit works in their lives.
ministry ~ what we do when we serve.apostle ~ a person whom someone sends to do a special task. In the New Testament, an apostle was someone who had met the risen Jesus.
New Testament ~ the second part of the Bible with 27 books about the life of Jesus and the Christian message.
risen Jesus ~ Jesus, after he died and became alive again.
disciples ~ the students of Jesus. Especially, the 12 men who became apostles.
apostle ~ a person whom someone sends to do a special task. In the New Testament, an apostle was someone who had met the risen Jesus.
New Testament ~ the second part of the Bible with 27 books about the life of Jesus and the Christian message.
risen Jesus ~ Jesus, after he died and became alive again.
believer ~ someone who believes. That is, a genuine Christian.'Ten Commandments ~ ten laws that God gave in Exodus chapter 20.
glory ~ honour or greatness. Especially, God’s greatness. Or, a special cause for pride in something or someone.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel (Jews).
Jews ~ people of the Hebrew people or religion.
Hebrew ~ a member of a group of families originally from Israel; or, the language of the Hebrew people.
fading ~ becoming less clear or strong.
glorious ~ to be beautiful; to have great glory.
glory ~ honour or greatness. Especially, God’s greatness. Or, a special cause for pride in something or someone.
relationship ~ a link between people; or, between God and people.
Jews ~ people of the Hebrew people or religion.
Hebrew ~ a member of a group of families originally from Israel; or, the language of the Hebrew people.
condemn ~ to say that someone is guilty.
Lord ~ a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.'Old Testament ~ the 39 books in the first part of the Bible.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin; suitable for God.
sin ~ an evil deed; or what is in us that causes us to do sins; to sin means to do evil deeds.