Day 152 – Thursday, July 31, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

1 Corinthians 3

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Christ’s Epistle

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

(2 Corinthians 3:1–3, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Following up on Paul’s message about the value and effectiveness of the gospel and his purpose to share it, Paul here asks if he and his team need to commend themselves? Do they need letters of recommendation?
• Instead, Paul says that his converts and disciples are the proof of his ministry. They are the letters that declare the word of God, the gospel, and carry the Spirit of God to those who are in need.

The Spirit, Not the Letter

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

(2 Corinthians 3:4–6, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul points to God as his sufficiency. He has made the ministers of the gospel effective.
• He and his team are great ministers of the new covenant, the Spirit of the gospel, rather than the letter of the law. They are great because God called them and equipped them.

Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so 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 the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of 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. ¹¹ For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—¹³ unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

(2 Corinthians 3:7–18, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul recounts how awesome the covenant written in stone was, so much so that Moses’ face shone after he received it from God. How much more glorious is the covenant of the gospel, written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit?
• The old covenant condemned, the new covenant gives righteousness. What was is passing away. What is is more glorious.
• In this hope, Paul preaches with great boldness. The veil is lifted, the cloud is gone. Blinded eyes are opened.
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! Beholding God as if looking in a mirror transforms the spirit of man. We go from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord!

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.