Verse By Verse Devotional On 2 Corinthians By Pastor Jack #75

The History of Paul

3:4-12 "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech."

This passage is not just a description of the Jews, it is the story of Paul’s life. It is as if, while discussing his present confidence, Paul flashes back to how he came to be the way he is, returning in v.12 right back to where he had been in verse 4.

Before encountering Jesus, Paul was the epitome of an old covenant man. He had a profound "zeal for God" (Rom.10:2), but his quest for righteousness before God was not based on "subjecting himself to the righteousness of God" but he was "seeking to establish his own righteousness", not realizing that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Rom.10:3-4) Thus, he was trying to live by a "fading" set-up -- "engraved on stones" -- that "kills" instead of "giving life." It was thus in the end "a ministry of condemnation" and not "a ministry of righteousness."

But then Paul saw the Face. This Face had such surpassing glory that no longer did the face of Moses (and the old covenant) glow for Paul. Once he turned his eyes upon Jesus and looked full in His wonderful face, "the elementary things of this world" (Gal.4:3) grew strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Paul, "having such a hope," began to "use great boldness in his speech":

"Immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ’He is the Son of God.’" He "kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ." (Acts 9:20, 22)

This was the story of Paul. And now Paul wants it to be our story as well. He wants us to leave behind a quest for righteousness based on ourselves, and submit to the righteousness of God which comes through Christ. He wants us to abandon all of our ministries of death and condemnation, all our rules and concepts of duty that are only written on tablets of stone and not upon our hearts, all those ways of thinking and operating that are of the earth and are fading, and which only lead to death. "These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." (Col.2:23) He wants us to see the face of Christ and behold His glory which far surpasses all other glories. And receiving this hope, he wants us to have great boldness in proclaiming the truth of Christ in the lives of others.

O Father, in order to avoid bodily indulgence it is so easy to fall into sins of pride and self-righteousness. Show us the face of Christ that we might avoid both traps. May His glory outshine both our worldly fascinations and our love of superiority. And flood our hearts with His hope that we might be unstoppably bold in speaking His name.