August 29

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. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:6

Job 31:1-33:33
2 Corinthians 3:1-18
Psalm 43:1-5
Proverbs 22:8-9

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New Testament: 2 Corinthians 3:1-18

Summary: Ministers of the New Covenant

We see that the legalists who caused trouble in both Antioch and Jerusalem had come to Corinth and enticed some of the believers into living by the Law of Moses. Paul refuted their position by showing the wonders of the new covenant ministry. The background is Exodus, chapter 34. It changes hearts, this new covenant.

The law only reveals sin. It cannot renew the inner person. The Spirit wants to write a new version of his word on your heart, will you let him? And Warren Wiersbe in his great Bible Commentary, chapter by chapter Bible Commentary says it gives life, the Law kills, but grace gives life and sustains that life. God’s children have a living relationship with him through the spirit of life. Oh, and by the way, it gets more and more glorious. The glory of the Law is gone. The temple, the priesthood, the ceremonies, and the awesome revelations of God’s power, it’s all gone.

But the glory of God’s grace remains and grows more and more glorious and brings freedom. The Law brings bondage, but grace gives glorious freedom. That makes us more and more like Jesus Christ each day. You can have your own personal transfiguration as you worship the Lord and yield to the Spirit.

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 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.
~ 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. The letter kills in two ways: (1) it results in a living death. Before Paul was converted, he thought he was saved by keeping the law, but all it did was kill his peace, joy, and hope; and (2) it results in spiritual death. His inability to keep the law sentenced him to an eternal death (see Rom 7:9-11; Rom 5:12; Gal 3:10). Only Jesus Christ, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, can produce eternal life in one who believes.

~ John MacArthur

There is another way to understand God’s words, but the result is death. We can refuse to allow God’s Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Instead, we can just look at the letters and words on the page. Many people were trying to do that with God’s law. However, God’s law declared his judgement against them, because they could not completely obey it*.

For that reason, people need the new covenant. They need God to write his law in their hearts*. They need Christ’s death, so that God can forgive their evil deeds*. They need God’s Holy Spirit to give them life that never ends.

From: usefulbible.com