Ministers of the New Covenant
The false teachers in Corinth constantly attacked Paul’s competency as a minister of the Gospel.
This passage is another response from Paul addressing this matter.
If we used this passage of scripture as a model, how would we respond when our competency as a teacher, an administrator, or a member of the staff is questioned?
2 Corinthians 2:17-3:6 (NLT)
17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.
3 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2 The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
Examine the scriptures:
2 Corinthians 2:17 (NLT)
17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit.
A loose definition of a huckster:
Someone who does whatever it takes to sell something at a profit.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT)
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
Dumb-down the message of the scriptures to make it more palatable
Paul ministered in Corinth without charge.
2 Corinthians 11:7-9 (NLT)
7 Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return? 8 I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost. 9 And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.
We preach the word of God with sincerity
Paul speaking in 2 Corinthians 1:12 (NLT)
12 We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.
and with Christ’s authority,
Paul again in Colossians 1: 28 (NLT)
28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us.
knowing that God is watching us.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NLT)
10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
- Paul was not like the many hucksters who preached for personal profit.
2 Corinthians 3:1-6 (NLT)
1 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again?
The false teachers in Corinth constantly attacked Paul’s competency as a minister of the Gospel.
This passage is another response (another defense) from Paul addressing this matter.
Another translation says it this way:
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? (ESV and others)
Paul was not so much praising himself as he was explaining to the Corinthians that God had entrusted him to share the Gospel with others.
Paul was competent to be a minister of the Gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:1-3 (NLT)
1 Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn’t it because of my work that you belong to the Lord? 2 Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.
3 This is my answer to those who question my authority. … (chapter 9)
1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NLT)
4 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not!
A common practice in the 1st century.
2 The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you.
The changed lives of the Corinthians can be identified by their fruit
Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT)
The Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
Heart vs. stone
Jeremiah 31:33 (NLT)
33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
- Paul’s ministry was validated by lives changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not by a letter of recommendation.
The lives of the Corinthian believers had been changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Ezekiel 11:19 (NLT)
19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, (a heart of flesh)
Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. (A heart of flesh)
4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ.
5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
- Paul’s qualifications came from God.
6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant.
This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ vs. the Law.
- Only the Spirit can change the heart.
The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
(More in the next lesson)
Applying the scriptures to our lives.
If we used this passage of scripture as a model, how would we respond when our competency as a teacher is questioned?
17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.
We are not like the many teachers who teach for personal profit.
We teach with sincerity.
We may not be the most eloquent, but we can be sincere.
What is our motivation?
1 Peter 5:2 (NLT)
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.
We, like Paul, are accountable to God
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NLT) (repeated)
10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
- We are not like the many teachers who teach for personal profit. We do not teach for personal profit, but we teach because we are eager to serve God.
3 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2 The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
- Our ministry is validated by lives changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not by a diploma hanging on our wall.
“Changed lives, changing lives.”
4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant.
God has enabled us to be teachers of His truths.
Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT)
20 Now may the God of peace—
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
21 may he equip you with all you need
for doing his will.
May he produce in you,
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
Acts 1:8 (NLT)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
- Our qualifications come from God.
- God equips us with all we need for doing His will.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NLT)
Paul’s Message of Wisdom
2 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
- We rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of our students (or our children)
Final thoughts
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns
Psalm 51:10 New Living Translation (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
