In today’s study, we’ll continue to unpack Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. The first part of the study will trace the idea of covenant ministry from the perspective of redemptive history. The second half will build on that foundation to work out the practical outcomes.
(A) From the Lesser to the Greater: Old Covenant Ministry in light of Gospel Glory (2 Cor 3:7-11)
In 2 Cor 3:7, Paul mentions a “ministry of death” that is described to be “carved in letters on stone”. He is making a reference to an incident in Israel’s history in the OT. In Exo 31:18, we read of God coming down from Mt Sinai to meet with the Israelites and the law (in the form of the 10 commandments) were written on 2 stone tablets with His finger and presented to them. Moses was the representative that was chosen to meet with God to receive it and he returned with such glory after meeting God that the Israelites could not gaze on Moses’ face because of this glory (Exo 34:29-35). Moses had to wear a veil and he removed it only when he was meeting God.
Paul refers to this incident in 2 Cor 3:7 and intends to present a contrast. In Exodus, God established His covenant and He Himself was present on the mountain. The law was given and the old covenant was instituted. This was a glorious event. But it was a ministry of death, because it was about just keeping all the rules of the law.
He goes on to explain this contrast in 2 Cor 3:8-9. The “ministry of death” (2 Cor 3:7) or the “ministry of condemnation” (2 Cor 3:9) was contrasted with the “ministry of the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:8) or the “ministry of righteousness” (2 Cor 3:9). Paul employs parallelism here, to reinforce and emphasize his point.
But why is the law seen as a ministry of death? God’s law is his holy, perfect and righteous standard, but as Gal 3:10 teaches us, all who do not abide by the Book of the Law is cursed, thus, all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. God’s people are to obey the law, but as Paul writes in Romans, God’s law helped to shine a light on our sins. Without the law, we would not be aware of what we’ve done. The law reveals our sin and transgression. But no one can obey the entirety of the law. Hence, the inevitable outcome of the law was punishment. This was why Paul describes this as a ministry of death and condemnation.
The old covenant given by God was glorious, as seen from the encounter with Moses in Exodus. But, it led to death. The new covenant after Christ’s death and resurrection was more glorious! This is summarised in the image below. The ministry of the Spirit lay after the cross, and was even more glorious!
Paul serves to argue from the lesser to the greater in 2 Cor 3:7-9. He makes these arguments in the verses:
(2 Cor 3:7) Now if … even more (2 Cor 3:8)
(2 Cor 3:9) For if … far exceed (2 Cor 3:9)
(2 Cor 3:11) For if … much more (2 Cor 3:11)
Three times he uses this kind of argument. Paul is emphasizing the far greater glory of the new covenant and the ministry of the spirit. If we try to live by a works-based type of righteousness we often end up walking in condemnation. Some of us may subtly believe and say “I know X and Y are sinful and if I avoid doing those God will be pleased with me.” If we have a works-based approach to righteousness and we need to earn and maintain God’s favour. we will live always worried and uncertain about our salvation. What also happens when we slip up and stumble?
The same also applies to our relationships with other Christians and in how we minister to others. Are we just teaching others to obey the law as an end in itself, and also just seek to modify behaviour? Ministry by the law actually leads to condemnation!
To sum it up, Paul recognises the law as a divine revelation of God’s glory. Even as we look at this contrast we should be careful not to assume they were diametrically opposed to each other. It wasn’t that one was one of works and the other was completely free/by grace. The old covenant had a God-given purpose and was given in glory but it came to an end. It has since given way to a new covenant in Jesus’ blood. The God of the OT is the same as the God of the NT.
(B) Life in the Ministry of the Spirit: Transforming and Working in Us towards Christlikeness (2 Cor 3:12-18)
Paul compares the Corinthians to the Israelites in 2 Cor 3:12-13 and goes on to talk about the different outcomes each group faces under the old and new covenants:
The OT Israelites did not really know God. They couldn’t even look at Moses’ failed and required him to veil his face. Yet, under this new covenant, we can know God because God has revealed himself in Christ. The OT Israelites relates to "read[ing] the old covenant/Moses read" and doesn't see God's glory, whereas the Christians "turn to the Lord" and "through Christ" has the veil removed, sees the glory of God and is transformed by His glory!
The OT Israelites remained static, but we see the transformation in the group of Christians. The Israelites were terrified by God's glory because it's a proxy for His sin-killing holiness and their own awareness of sin. In Christ, we not only see God's glory, but have our sins expiated in Him.
Thus, what goes on in the life of the Christian who lives under the ministry of the Spirit? In 2 Cor 3:18, Paul gets at the heart of the Christian’s experience. Firstly, it means that we can behold God’s glory. If we have turned to Christ and put our faith in Him, that veil has been removed and we can behold God’s glory! Jesus tore the veil separating the holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. This was a heavy veil but it also also meant that Jesus’ death allows us now to enter God’s presence without fear! When we behold Christ, we behold God’s glory. We won’t walk away with a shining face, but transforms us into the same image!
The second is that we are being transformed into the image of God’s glory as stated in Romans 8:29. We become what we behold! The more we look upon God’s glory in Christ, the more we’d be transformed!
Thirdly, we know that our transformation is from glory to glory. Paul is speaking of a metamorphosis and not just an upgrade here. It is a change of state from one state to another! Sometimes we think of our Christian life as some sort of roller coaster of ups and downs but the Bible describes our growth in different terms. We start from glory and goes on to more glory. What we may perceive as our weakness or low points or struggles are actually points where glory is found and lived out. We are continually being changed to Christ’s likeness.The ministry of the Spirit is the ministry of righteousness. It establishes the believer’s positional righteousness, where we stand before God. In Christ, we stand righteous before God because the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us. And there’s also our sanctification, where we grow in righteousness.
Lastly, we also know that all this is the work of God. Paul describes it as “being transformed”, indicating that we are not changing ourselves or modifying our own behaviour. We are not passive but are recipients and participants of the sanctifying work of God in us!
It follows that there are two practical implications of a life lived under the Spirit. A life under the ministry of the Spirit relieves us of our performance burden. We no longer need to earn God’s favour on our own righteousness. God is pleased with us because of what Christ has done on our behalf. We are at peace with God and we have His favour. It is purely based on what Jesus has done, not on what we have done, are doing or will do.We respond to the work that God’s spirit has started in us. This is what freedom is. But if we keep in step with the Spirit, we know that our struggle today is God’s glory tomorrow.
Secondly, a life under the ministry of the Spirit helps us to see other Christians as going through the same process. How do we see other people’s “failures”? Do we succumb to gossip? But reading this passage challenges how we think about other Christians! We know that He is doing His work in our lives, and also in the lives of others! Instead of complaining about other Christians, we can ask “How can I participate in the growth/transformation in the other person’s life?” It helps us to think differently about our ministry struggles, or even our participation in our local church. If we feel that our small group is unresponsive, or our church is being split by political issues, it reminds us that our ministry is actually the Holy Spirit’s ministry.
The new covenant glory and tee ministry of the Spirit results in application in a personal, interpersonal and even at an organisational level. Our growth and our “ministry” is really the work and ministry of the Spirit to accomplish His ministry of righteousness to reflect His glory. Our sufficiency is not from ourselves, but the sufficiency of God who made us ministers of a new covenant. Therefore, we can continue to press on!