II Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
As we have noted many times before, when God saves a person they are changed from the heart outward. It is not just a mind change. It is a heart change that changes the mind and the life.
The apostle Paul knew this first hand. He knew the change that had taken place in his heart when he was saved. He knew he was a murderer in heart and life prior to his conversion. He had consented to the death of Stephen. He had letters to arrest and imprison saints in Damascus. Yet, he was confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and he was changed immediately.
As we have stated, this was not a one off with Paul. This is what the Bible teaches for those who are truly born again. As we look at the disciples’ response to Jesus’ teaching:
Luke 18:26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
We just looked at those verses in our Sunday morning service. Jesus taught plainly. The disciples understood that salvation was not a man-made event. It was not something that was an addition to what was already there. It was a complete change of heart and mind and soul. It was a transformational change that affected the heart and life.
The apostle Paul expected this same thing from the Corinthian saints. He had confidence in the work of Christ in their hearts. That work would turn the Corinthian saints into those that love God.
In verse 5 Paul was not about to start boasting of his wisdom or his subtle nature in getting to the saints. He knew he and his companions were not that important. He knew that it was God working through them that had effected the change in Corinth. Paul and his companions were absolutely dependent upon the Lord for their work to be effective. They wanted to bear fruit for the Lord, but if any true saint is going to bear fruit for the Lord it is going to be in His strength and ability.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Salvation is a work of God. Walking the Christian life is also a work of God. This is what true faith looks like. The true child of God trusts in the Lord and yields to His working in their heart and life. Christians can get into a rut, but they cannot stay there for long. That is why the Christian who attends a New Evangelical church will get out of there. They cannot remain there. They will be frustrated and vexed in their soul. They will be hungering for more and that false system cannot give them more.
The apostle Paul was sent to Corinth to help them get out of the rut they were in. Now they were coming out of it and now they needed to be embraced and fed true meat.
In verse 6 Paul reminded the saints who he and his companions were. They were made able ministers of the new testament which was not through law keeping. The Ten Commandments are still just as valid today as they ever were. However, the true saint is not seeking to achieve a higher level of achievement of the Ten Commandments. The true saint is looking to draw closer to God and in doing that he/she will automatically be fulfilling the law.
I grew up in a system of law keeping. I was confused by that system for too long. However, God saved me and showed me that law keeping is not the way forward. Having the love of God in my heart is the way forward.
God uses the marriage as an illustration of the Christian life. In a good marriage, the husband and wife love one another. They want to please one another, not because they have a list to check off every day to see if they have done everything right. They listen to each other and they learn how the other person thinks and what their real needs are. In a godly marriage it is not about material gain, but about true heart felt gain. It is meeting the needs of the real person and the desires of the couple are real desires that are meaningful. External gifts are appreciated but not at the expense of true love.
In Christ, saints demonstrate true love to one another. They care for one another. They want to see others growing in the Lord, just as Paul desired to see the Corinthians growing in the Lord. He wanted to see them demonstrating true godly love for one another. That included forgiveness and it also included growing in the Lord together.
As Paul said in verse 6, “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” Paul went on in verse 7 to further explain this. The Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God. Moses’ willingness to receive those commandments, not just in those stones, but in his heart, caused his face to shine when he came down from the mount. He understood to a certain degree, the benefits of knowing the God of those Commandments. When that was in its rightful place, things would be different for the recipients.
While Moses’ face shone as he came with those Ten Commandments, the people’s hearts and faces turned sour. They did not receive the Word with joy. They saw the weight of those two stones and it was not glorious to them at all.
So too, the apostle Paul was showing the saints that serving God is not burdensome to the repentant saint. In I Corinthians, they had not welcomed him in. They did not want to hear what he had to say. Now things were different. He was the same man with the same message. However, now that their hearts had been changed by God, they welcomed the message. They began to experience the joy and peace that comes through submission to the true God.
Thus the question of verse 8. If the ministry of the Holy Spirit is received, the result will be glorious. As we noted in Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit will be there.
True saints do not strain to try to meet some of God’s standards. True saints, submit to God and ask for His wisdom and His strength to do His will. That is what today is for. This is the Lord’s Day. It is another day to get ready and go to a good local church where you can be encouraged and challenged from the pure Word of God. Ask God to prepare your heart right now to receive the blessing He has for you.
There may be someone reading this that needs to be saved. Come to church and listen to the Word of God and surrender to His will. For those who are saved, come to be refreshed and encouraged and challenged from God’s sure Word. It will be for your benefit and for God’s glory.
Pastor Bartel