2 Corinthians 3:1-3 – A Letter From Jesus
Some were bringing charges against Paul or questioning his authority. Paul says, do I need to recommend myself again? Do I need to have a letter of recommendation from some other church? Paul asks it almost incredulously to the Corinthians. And why is that? That’s because the Corinthian church knew and experienced the work of Paul. Paul wasn’t putting himself up on a pedestal as if he were the one to be admired, or that he was the one who had planted the church. Instead, he could say to the Corinthians, you know exactly what I have done, because you were there. When we talk about the power of the gospel, we’re not talking about a personality cult. We’re talking about what God, through Christ and the power of the gospel, is doing. Essentially, the Corinthians were the proof of Christ’s work of evangelism. They were a letter written by Christ.
This letter is written not with ink but by the Spirit of God. The work of salvation is is brought by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit breathes life into a dead body so that we believe on Jesus Christ. Paul can say that Christ is at work because of regeneration.
The second deep mystery that Paul mentions here is a doctrine of election. He says it has been written. The sovereign decree of God is written down, as it were, from all eternity. It’s that work of God, that sovereign work of God that is a past action that has consequence on the present. How do we know that God is at work? Because He chooses to save us out of our sin.
The third deep mystery that Paul brings into mind here is the covenant of God. He says it’s written on tablets of flesh, that is the heart. Why did God write His law on tablets of stone at Mount Sinai? Because He loved His people. And He gave this mark, this sign, as a demonstration that He was in covenant with them. The letter from Jesus Christ is inscribed on our hearts. How do we know that God is at work? It’s because He has loved us with a covenant love, and He has written that, inscribed it on our hearts. In fact, the very new heart and new spirit that He has given to us is the proof of God’s work.
Question
- How do the Corinthians prove that God is at work?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the evidence of God’s work in the church.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.