Written On The Heart 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

It seems like there is something within us that is always looking to trade up, to find a better deal, to grab hold of whatever it is that looks better and promises more than what we are currently experiencing. We see it happen all the time in all kinds of ways and we don’t have to look to others to find examples, we are our own best example are we not? I’ve been thinking about this as I’ve been studying 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 and thinking about Paul’s relationship with the church in Corinth. Paul had been so faithful, so committed to his brothers and sisters in Corinth, but for some in the church a better deal had come along. After Paul left Corinth some new teachers had come to the church and they were impressive! They dressed like they had just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine, they drove the most expensive Corinthian chariots in town, and when they spoke…Wow! They spoke with such confidence. They held the congregation spellbound with their ability to move people from laughter to tears at any time they wanted. They were able to quote the philosophers and tie their sermons to the headlines of the Corinthian Chronicle almost as soon as it rolled off the press. How did they do it? Paul was a good guy, his heart was in the right place, but these guys…they were next level! The next best thing had come along and many in the church were moving on from Paul, but Paul couldn’t move on from those he loved. In our time together in God’s Word this morning we are going to take a look at 2 Corinthians 3:1-6. Paul is fully aware of what is going on back in Corinth and so he writes with the intent of reminding the people of something far more important than the next best thing to come along and that is what God has done and is continuing to do. Let’s read verses 1-6 together.

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:1-6 NIV)

Isn’t it interesting that those who have it out for you will do everything in their power to use anything at their disposal to make you out to be the person they want everyone to believe you are? There is no doubt that the “super apostles,” as Paul calls them, were doing the same thing in Corinth. They were saying things to try and make the people suspicious, painting Paul as arrogant and weak at the same time, and putting Paul in a very difficult position. So Paul writes, 

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? (2 Corinthians 3:1 NIV)

There is no doubt that the super apostles, and those who sided with them, were pulling things from Paul’s first letter and using them to make Paul out to be patting himself on the back and Paul was aware of it. That’s why he writes, “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?” I love the way N.T. Wright translates this first verse. Listen to this:

So: we’re starting to ‘recommend ourselves’ again, are we? Or perhaps we need–as some do–official references to give to you? Or perhaps even to get from you? (2 Corinthians 3:1) 

Letters of recommendation were used all of the time in biblical times. They were used to introduce someone to another person who was not previously known. Let me give you one example from the Hebrew Bible. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Susa, the capital of Persia. When Nehemiah received permission from the king to go back to Jerusalem and help rebuild the wall and the city, he also asked for letters from the king. The journey would be about 900 miles through areas where he was unknown, he needed the king to vouch for him. Turn to Nehemiah 2 and let’s read it together. 

6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. 7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. (Nehemiah 2:6-9 NIV)

Paul himself wrote letters of recommendation. In Romans 16:1-2, Paul gave Phoebe the highest recommendation and urged the people in Rome to welcome her. Read it with me.

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me. (Romans 16:1-2 NIV)

Evidently, those who were questioning Paul’s authority had a whole stack of letters of recommendation and they were using them to show the people of Corinth their superiority over Paul. If the leaders of the church in Corinth had done a little investigating I bet they would have found out those letters weren’t worth the papyrus they were written on. Just because a person can present a glowing resume or impressive letters of recommendation doesn’t mean they are legit or have we already forgotten Felicity Huffman, Lori Louglin, and others who paid Rick Singer to falsify all kinds of documents and paid folks under the table to get their kids into prestigious colleges. Paul, in effect says, “Are you kidding me? Letters of recommendation after all we’ve been through, after all of the time we’ve spent together? You do know me don’t you?” In verse 2, Paul takes the idea of credentials and letters of recommendation to a whole new level when he writes,

2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. (2 Corinthians 3:2 NIV)

For Paul, flowery letters written in ink are not nearly as important as lives changed by the Spirit of God through his work among the people. Paul’s credentials are not to be found on paper, but in the people he has ministered to in Corinth. Back in Paul’s first letter to the church he reminded them of how the Lord had changed their lives when he wrote,

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NIV)

The letters, the changed lives of those in the church at Corinth, were written upon Paul’s heart. What God had done in the lives of those in the church at Corinth was a source of great joy for Paul. Sure he had problems with some of the people, but there were so many who loved the Lord with all of their heart and were faithfully serving Him. The change in their lives and their continued faithfulness meant everything to Paul. Paul speaks about his deep, deep love for them again in 2 Corinthians 7:2-4. Listen to this…

2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. (2 Corinthians 7:2-4 NIV)

I have spoken at many funerals throughout the years, I spoke at the funeral for Brenda Clopton just this week. There’s something I’ve noticed that has really stuck with me. When family and friends gather to honor and remember the person who has died, it is a rare, very rare occasion that the focus of the service is on the great accomplishments of the person. You want to know what happens? Stories are told, lots and lots of stories of how that person impacted the lives of others. The people who share their stories are living epistles, letters that have been carved on the heart of the person who has passed and the person who made such an impact has carved their name on hearts as well. I’ve shared a quote from Pastor Spurgeon many times at funerals. He once said, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you, so carve your name on hearts and not on marble.” Let’s move on to verses 3-4. Read it with me.

3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. (2 Corinthians 3:3-4 NIV)

The work that had taken place in Corinth, the transformation of the lives of the people in the church, it was all a letter “from Christ,” the work was Jesus’ work. All that had been accomplished had happened strictly because of His transforming power. Paul says the letter was a result of his ministry. Jesus wrote the letter of transformation in the lives of the people of Corinth and Paul was the letter carrier, he delivered the message of Jesus to the people, but it was Jesus’ work. The Greek word for “ministry,” used in verse 3, is “????????” (diakoneo) which means “to serve or to render service.” Paul borrowed the word from the secular world where it meant “to wait on tables.” That’s the way Paul sees himself. He’s not the chef, He was merely delivering the meal to those in need. Paul was not the author of the letter, he was merely the pen used to write the letter. Family members and friends of the famous Puritan pastor Richard Baxter, who preached in the 1600s in England, gathered around him during his last days. On one occasion someone tried to encourage him by reminding him of all of the good he had done by sharing God’s Word with people throughout his life. Pastor Baxter said, “I was but a pen in God’s hand, and what praise is due to a pen?” There is no doubt Pastor Baxter had read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 3:3. Ray Stedman imagines Paul as saying, "As for me, I'm nothing but the postman; I just delivered the letter. God did the work." He goes on to point out…

It is Jesus who heals a hurting heart, or touches a lonely spirit, or restores someone burdened with a terrible sense of guilt for all the wretchedness and evil of his past. It is the Lord who forgives and changes, and this great apostle states that very strongly. He wants them to understand that Christ has written this letter, not him, but they are the witnesses, their changed lives are all the testimony, all the recommendation he needs that what he is doing is authentic Christianity. (Ray Stedman, Have You Got What It Takes?)

In verse 3, Paul also says they are a letter “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” For those who say they are New Testament believers who spend all of their time in the New Testament, this imagery will never and can never make any sense whatsoever because Paul has an Old Testament promise in mind as he writes. There are promises, prophecies from God, in the Hebrew Bible concerning the Holy Spirit and His role in the renewal of God’s relationship with His people. Before we get to the prophecies I want to show you the contrast Paul has in mind when he contrasts the writing with “ink” and the Spirit. When ink is used to write on paper the paper receives an image, the ink leaves its mark, but there is no response from the paper. They are just words on a page. For Paul, the followers of Jesus are written on by the Spirit of God and what is written is implanted in hearts made receptive by the same Spirit of God. When Paul compares “tablets of stone” with “tablets written on the heart,” he has in mind the law given by God through Moses and the ministry of Jesus that Paul and the other apostles were given. The law was given through Moses as God gave the Ten Commandments carved on two stone tablets, but the law was incapable of producing change in people’s lives. The law was good, but it was not capable of changing people’s hearts. God made a promise, prophecies were given, that a day would come when God would give His Spirit and the hearts of the people would change. Let me show you those prophecies. First, turn with me to Ezekiel 11:19-20 and let’s read together.

19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19-20 NIV)

God said He would remove from His people their hearts of stone and He would give them a heart of flesh, a heart that is moldable and pliable. Turn with me to Ezekiel 36 and we can learn even more. 

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV)

God said He would put His Spirit in His people and He would move them to follow His decrees and to be sensitive and committed to keeping His laws. The Holy Spirit only took up residence in God’s people for specific duties at specific times in the Old Testament, but now, on this side of the cross and resurrection, the Holy Spirit permanently indwells all of God’s people. The last example I want to show you is found in Jeremiah 31:33 where God says He will write His law on the hearts of His people. Read this verse with me.

33 "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 NIV)

Paul is pointing out to the people of Corinth that in the past God moved and worked through the law, but God’s promise is now being fulfilled through Paul’s own ministry. Those super apostles might have a way with words, they might show lots of sizzle in the way they can hold an audience, but it is the Spirit’s work through Paul that he wants to showcase and not himself. Let’s move on to our last two verses. Won’t you read verses 5-6 with me.

5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV)

Paul was the antithesis of those who were trying to bring him down and discredit him in the eyes of the people in Corinth. He openly confesses, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” There were no degrees, letters of commendation, or plaques hanging in Paul’s office. He was fully aware that his only power, his only competence, his only ability came from the Lord. I’ve noticed something about those God calls into His service and that is none of them ever sat up, threw back their shoulders, and said, “I’ve been wondering when you were going to call my name.” Let me give you a few examples…Moses was minding his own business, shepherding sheep when God called him to go and confront Pharaoh. Moses responded to God’s call by saying,

10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." (Exodus 4:10 NLT)

God wouldn’t take “No” for an answer. He was going to use Moses so He assured Moses that He would be with him and give him everything he needed to do what God had called him to do. Read the next verses with me.

11 Then the LORD asked Moses, "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say." (Exodus 4:11-12 NLT)

Instead of falling down on his face in humility and gratitude, Moses said, “Please Lord, send someone else!” This feeling of inadequacy is not an isolated experience found only in a few of God’s servants. Joshua, Gideon, Isaiah, Jeremiah…the list goes on and on. I’ve learned the most useful and usable of God’s people are those who are fully convinced they don’t have what it takes. Paul never doubted his calling. He never questioned the work the Lord had given him to do. He stood tall because of his confidence in the Lord and His mighty power and at the very same time he bowed low, with his face in the dust when he considered that God would choose him and choose to use him to carry the good news of Jesus to those who didn’t know Him. You can hear both, the confidence and the humility, in what Paul told his young friend Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:12-14.

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:12-14 NLT)

In our day it is so popular to build and expand our platforms, boost our posts, and market our brands. This mindset has invaded the church, the body of Christ, as well. I want to urge you this morning to allow the Lord to show you all that you lack so He can provide for you all that you need to live as His faithful servant. He is our strength, He is our sufficiency, He is our competence for the work He has prepared for us to do.  Pastor Spurgeon puts it so much better than I ever could. Listen to this…

Brethren, if Paul is not sufficient of himself, what are you and I? Where are you…Do you indulge the dream of self-sufficiency? Be ashamed of your folly in the presence of a great man who knew what he said, and who spoke under the direction of the Spirit of God, and wrote deliberately, ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves.'  ...Our sufficiency is of God; let us practically enjoy this truth. We are poor, leaking vessels, and the only way for us to keep full is to put our pitcher under the perpetual flow of boundless grace. Then, despite its leakage, the cup will always be full to the brim. (Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, Dispensed By The Spirit of Grace.)

Isn’t that good?! Put that leaking vessel of yours under the Spout that flows with life-giving water, new life creating water, life-sustaining water. He is able my friend, but first we must come to Him. I have to ask you this morning, “Do you know Him? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus and received Him as Lord and Savior of your life? That’s the first step in a long journey of learning how much He loves you, why He has called you to Himself, how you can trust Him, and how He wants to use you to share His love with others. Won’t you confess your need for Him this morning?Mike HaysBritton Christian Church922 NW 91stOKC, OK