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2 Corinthians 3:1
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Christ’s Epistle

1 Do awe begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, bepistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?  
2 aYou are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;  
3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, aministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not bon tablets of stone but con tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.  

The Spirit, Not the Letter

4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God.
5 aNot that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but bour sufficiency is from God,  
6 who also made us sufficient as aministers of bthe new covenant, not cof the letter but of the Spirit; for dthe letter kills, ebut the Spirit gives life.  

Glory of the New Covenant

7 But if athe ministry of death, bwritten and engraved on stones, was glorious, cso that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,  
8 how will athe ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?  
9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry aof righteousness exceeds much more in glory.  
10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.
Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
<< 2 Corinthians 2:17   2 Corinthians 3:2 >>


2 Corinthians 3:1

Do we begin again to commend ourselves - By speaking thus of our sincerity, Divine mission, etc., is it with a design to conciliate your esteem, or ingratiate ourselves in your affections? By no means.

Or need we - epistles of commendation - Are we so destitute of ministerial abilities and Divine influence that we need, in order to be received in different Churches, to have letters of recommendation? Certainly not. God causes us to triumph through Christ in every place; and your conversion is such an evident seal to our ministry as leaves no doubt that God is with us.

Letters of commendation - Were frequent in the primitive Church; and were also in use in the apostolic Church, as we learn from this place. But these were, in all probability, not used by the apostles; their helpers, successors, and those who had not the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, needed such letters and they were necessary to prevent the Churches from being imposed on by false teachers. But when apostles came, they brought their own testimonials, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit.


 
<< 2 Corinthians 2:17   2 Corinthians 3:2 >>

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