2 Corinthians 3:7-11 – The Superior Gospel
Paul goes on and says that the gospel is superior because it is the ministry of righteousness as opposed to the ministry of condemnation. We all stand under the law and in and of ourselves that law condemns us. We cannot be saved by our obedience. And so Paul can rightly call the Old Testament law a ministry of condemnation. At the same time, Paul says that the ministry of condemnation was glorious. And we conclude that the law of God is always glorious. How could it not be? It reflects the perfect holiness of our perfect God. It is the declaration of the righteousness of the Holy One of Israel. 1 John says that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. The light of the law still shines, and it shines in a way that reveals our sin, doesn’t it? It shines in a way that reveals where we are not yet fully sanctified. You see, there is a terrible tension in our life. God requires us to be holy, even as He is holy – to be righteous and to be completely righteous. His law is an expression of that. But the Bible tells us, and our own experience confirms, that we all, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned each one into his own path. God’s just judgment stands against all sin, for the wages of sin is death. But to this ministry of condemnation, Paul contrasts the ministry of righteousness and says, this is more glorious. Jesus has kept the whole law for us. He did what we cannot do and has become our righteousness, our representative in His life and in His death. God justifies us based on that perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. We receive that righteousness by faith alone, and He declares us to be glorious in His sight. Isn’t that more glorious?
The gospel is superior because it is the ministry that endures forever, while the Old Covenant ministry was temporary. That Old Covenant, that Old Testament law is glorious. And it’s a law that that still has purposes for us today as it has always.But here Paul brings out the point that God was using it in all of its glory to point towards the perfect coming of Jesus Christ. He was using it to direct attention to the Saviour Jesus so that when the sun arises, it dispels all darkness. It displaces all other lights. And this sun never sets. It remains forever. Jesus is the one who remains forever. He’s the one who’s promised from of old. And those lights were reflections or promises of the coming of Jesus. And as He has come, as He has risen, it is a light that remains forever.
Question
- Why is the gospel superior to the law?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the salvation we have in Christ.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.