“We have this ministry”: “the ministry of the Spirit”
July 23, 2006 2 Corinthians 3:1--4:6 Introduction We come again to 2 Corinthians to seek your help in finalizing another portion of the commentary. To attempt to be a writer, to write a book has its risks. I was sent a series of one-liners under the heading, “When Insults had class.” Two apply: Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading it (Moses Hadas). He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know (Abraham Lincoln). Nevertheless we will proceed: Today’s passage is 3:1—4:6, a little long, and one containing some fascinating difficulties of interpretation. As we shall see from the biblical text, the key word will be “ministry” for Paul’s theme is “we have this ministry” (4:1). The Greek word for “ministry” is diakonia from which we get our English word “deacon,” or “one who serves.” This is a day when “ministries” abound throughout the life of the church. We are all rightly urged to find our place of service to others in the name f Christ, as we say, to have a ministry. PLNU Professor John W. Wright in a recent essay writes that the term “ministry” (diakonia) has had a significant change in meaning from its original New Testament usage. It has now come to mean simply any type of Christian service that we do. He concludes that we should return to earlier times in our understanding, for the historical data suggest that we must understand and practice ministry as doing the will of God the Father, seen in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit in the context of the body of Christ, the church. Diakonia must represent a congregation that commissions someone to represent them, as well as the nature of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in whose name the congregation gathers and witnesses. The Australian biblical scholar John N. Collins introduces his book Are All Christians Ministers? with the answer, “’No,’ say these chapters,” referring to the rest of his book. Two implications of his work stand out: (1) “Service” and “serve” in place of “ministry” and “minister” has too often translated diakonia and cognates in the New Testament; and therefore (2) it is misleading biblically and from the standpoint of the early centuries of the Christian Church to call everything Christians do on behalf of others in the name of Christ a “ministry.” We will not take time to critically examine these two theses; just note them as background to our Scripture of the morning To get at our text we make our way through the outline of our commentary exposition.
I. An Apostolic Introduction, 1:1-11
II. The Apostolic Ministry, 1:12—7:16
PAUL REVEALS HIS INTENTIONS, 1:12—2:13
B. PAUL CHARACTERIZES HIS MINISTRY, 2:14--6:10
This new section is marked by a seemingly abrupt transition from 2:13 to 2:14. Here begins “the great digression” that extends to 7:5 where Paul resumes the narration of his anxiety concerning the Corinthians that was relieved by the coming of Titus (7:5-16). Evoked by the mention of Macedonia (2:13) Paul's dictation now bursts out enthusiastically in praise to God as he contemplates what God has accomplished by means of an instrument as feeble as he (2:14-17). “We have this ministry” (4:1) is Paul’s theme as he proceeds to delineate its character more precisely as a ministry of the Spirit in 3:1--4:6, a ministry of suffering in 4:7--5:10, and a ministry of reconciliation in 5:11--6:10. Paul seeks to lead the Corinthians into an understanding of his ministry that will contribute to the restoration of right relations between the Corinthians and the apostle. As Paul opens his heart about his apostolic calling we are presented with one of the more profound portrayals of authentic Christian ministry to be found anywhere in Scripture.
1. Thanksgiving for Triumph in Christ (2:14-17)
2. A Ministry of the Spirit (3:1—4:6)
The impressive description Paul has just written about his ministry in 2:14-17 could prompt the charge that Paul was engaging in mere self-commendation. Instead Paul insists that the nature of his apostolic ministry among the Corinthians is such that he has no need of fresh introduction or letter of recommendation beyond themselves from or to the Corinthians (3:1-3). The apostle’s ministry is in fact one of a new covenant whose adequacy is found in the life-giving Spirit (3:4-6), whose glory surpasses that of the old covenant (3:7-11), and whose liberty is that of the transforming Spirit of the Lord (3:12-18). A ministry thus grounded in the mercy of God is completely open to the conscience of everyone and is conducted in the sight of God (4:1-6). 1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3You 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. 4Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He 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. 7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 4:1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
I. Behind the Text
Following the propositio (2:17), which states the basic fact under dispute in the argument, the apologetic rhetorical structure continues with first a reference to letters of commendation or recommendation (systatikē epistolē) that were common in antiquity. These were letters of introduction commending the bearer normally to the recipient and requesting help, hospitality, instruction, or even employment. Such a letter would indicate that the bearer was in good standing with the sender as a friend or patron and would essentially commit the recipient to comply with the request. The cultural atmosphere of the day considered such recommendations as important and weight was given to them.
In the background of 3:1-18 is the theologically rich narrative in Exodus chapters 32-34 with the account in verses 34:29-35 being directly referenced by Paul. The Israelites are at the foot of Mount Sinai (Exod 19:1) for the purpose of receiving the covenant (19:4-6). Following the revelation at Sinai with the giving of the Ten Words (19:1—20:21), the Book of the Covenant (20:22—23:33), and the ratification of the covenant (24:1-18), Moses went up the mountain for forty days and nights to be with the LORD where he received the instructions for the building of the tabernacle concluding with Moses receiving “the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God” (25:1--31:18; cf. 2 Cor 3:3). In the meantime the Israelites became impatient with Moses’ absence, persuaded Aaron to make them a golden calf, and proceeded to worship it in a riotous manner (32:1-6) as the gods who brought them up out of Egypt (v. 8). Then begins a profound series of intercessions as Moses sought to turn the anger of God away from the destruction of his people (32:7—33:23). Moses’ intercession was heard, and the LORD renewed his covenant accompanied by two new stone tablets containing “the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments” (34:1-28).
At this point in the narrative, in the passage directly behind our text (vv. 29-35), Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets in his hands unaware that “his face was radiant because had spoken with the LORD.” When the people saw Moses’ radiant face they were afraid to come near, but at the call of Moses Aaron and the leaders came back and Moses “gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.” When Moses finished speaking he put a veil over his face that he would only remove when he went into the tent of meeting to enter “the LORD’s presence to speak with him.” But whenever Moses came out to speak to the Israelites he would keep the veil over his face.
II. In the Text
1.
This section begins with Paul’s letter of recommendation (3:1-3). . . . Verses 1-3 look back to 2:17 and anticipate 3:4-6; they are transitional and openly introduce Paul's defense of his apostolic ministry, a defense of himself, his office, and his message. In them Paul states even more clearly than before in the letter that the essential commendation of his ministry is simply the evident Christian character of the Corinthians themselves. Their very existence affirmed the power and authority of the apostle. . . . my apostleship in the Lord’ (9:2). The Corinthians are as a body of believers are in fact a letter written by Christ himself with Paul as the scribe and courier in the founding of the Church at Corinth.
2.
As Paul presents the adequacy of the new covenant ministry (3:4-6) he continues to guard himself against a misinterpretation of the triumphant description of his apostolic ministry (2:14-17). Paul’s motives have been pure and he has no need to commend himself to the Corinthians (3:1-3). Now in verses 4-6 the ground of his confidence is not in himself; it is God who has made him adequate as a minister of a new covenant. This is already intimated by Paul’s imagery in verse 3. As a ministry of the Spirit and not of the letter, the ministry of the new covenant transcends that of the old covenant. This Paul will illustrate (7-11) with an allusion to the shine on Moses' face, which Moses covered with a veil on account of the people on his return to them from Mount Sinai (Exod 34:29-35).
Covenant throughout the Bible refers to an agreement, not between equals, but one between God and his people. This covenant is constituted by God's gracious offer of his saving presence and confirmed by the grateful response of his people in the fulfilling of its obligations. . . . Paul saw himself as a minister of a new covenant in some significant sense as contrasted to the old (3:14; Exod 24:3-8; Gal. 4:24) with its newness (kainēs) being first of all one of time as belonging to a new era in the history of God’s salvation purposes, one inaugurated by Jesus in his ministry, death, and resurrection: “the new covenant in my blood” (1 Cor 11:25; cf. Luke 22:20). This newness was also one of kind described by Paul as one not of the letter but of the Spirit (cf. Rom. 2: 28-29).
By letter Paul views the old covenant as set down in an outward or written code of law (cf. v. 7). By Spirit he is characterizing the era of the new covenant in Christ in terms of an inner dynamic, the law written “on their hearts” (Jer 31:33), the presence of God's Spirit involved in a new way. The contrast is not between a literal and an allegorical or “spiritual” interpretation of Scripture, but between a covenant viewed as external commands written on stone tablets to be obeyed and a covenant characterized by the Spirit of God living in the human heart eliciting a response of life (3:3).
3.
As Paul moves on to the glory of the new covenant ministry (3:7-11) he brings out clearly what has only been previously alluded to by letter and Spirit (3, 6)—a contrast between the ministries of the old and new covenants as focused on the ministries of Moses the lawgiver and Paul the apostolic messenger. These ministries or eras in the history of salvation are viewed each in their wholeness. . . . To do this Paul in homiletical fashion begins to interpret the story of Moses in Exodus 34:29-35 with specific reference to verses 29-30. . . . In these verses Paul has expressed the adequacy of his apostolic ministry in a theologically rich series of contrasts. Paul’s ministry is superior as a ministry of a new covenant--a ministry of the Spirit rather than of the letter—a ministry superior (1) as life is more glorious than death, (2) as righteousness is more glorious than condemnation, and (3) as that which is permanent is more glorious than that which is fading away.
4.
With such a ministry Paul, in the light no doubt of accusations against him, is free to speak out openly, concealing nothing, as he speaks now of the liberty of the new covenant Ministry (3:12-18). For Paul's ministry, unlike that of Moses, who personifies the old covenant, was transparent, possessing the liberty of the Spirit of the Lord that enables all to behold the glory of the Lord in a life-transforming manner. . . .
To illustrate this assertion of the openness and boldness of his ministry Paul returns now to the contrast of his ministry with that of Moses, one characterized, he suggests, by concealment (v 13). . . .
The transformation of life that takes place in the continuing experience of seeing . . . the glory of the Lord is by the agency of the Lord who is the Spirit, or from the Lord, the Spirit (. . .). This spiritual liberty can be the privileged experience of all who turn to the Lord, for the power of God's magnificent future has been released among men in the ministry of the new covenant--through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Thus the effective presence of the Holy Spirit at work in Paul's ministry moves him to speak of it as a "hope" (v 12). This makes for openness in his access to God in Christ, and bold confidence in his proclamation of the gospel. For in the gospel of Christ there is a liberty (1) actually present among men, (2) penetrating to the core of the personality, and (3) thrillingly promising in its future perspectives.
5.
With a declaration (4:1) that both concludes and introduces, Paul turns now to the openness of the apostolic ministry (4:1-6). The language used reflects 2:14-17 and 3:7-18 as Paul asserts again the integrity of his apostolic ministry against those who would discredit it. With direct application to the practical character of his own ministry, Paul continues the theme of 3:12, the transparent character of his proclamation of the gospel. Paul’s ministry is characterized by a boldness and openness issuing from the new covenant ministry of the Spirit (3:4-18). As in the preceding verses (vv 12-18), Paul has three subjects: (1) the splendor of the new covenant ministry (vv 1-2), (2) the spiritual condition of those who are unable to see that splendor (vv 3-4), and (3) the divine source of the splendor of the gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord (vv 5-6). Thus Paul’s unique exposition of the new covenant and its ministry, set against Moses’ experience in Exodus 34:29-35, is framed by two affirmations of confidence in his apostolic ministry (2:14-17; 4:1-6). . . .
The bold confidence of Paul's apostolic ministry, received from God through Christ (Gal 1:1), is seen in its methodology. Paul’s ministry was first utterly open to the scrutiny of both the human and the divine, and second, it sought only to manifest Jesus Christ as its supreme content. Christ himself is the ultimate measure of both the preacher and hearer of the gospel, for God can be adequately known only in him. To refuse the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ is to invite spiritual darkness; to exalt self in the presentation of Jesus is to betray the ministry. Paul grounds the integrity of his ministry in its basically spiritual character: (1) its proof is in transformed people (3: 1-3); (2) its dynamic is the ministry of the Spirit as the life-giving quality of the new covenant (3:4-11); (3) its boldness resides in the transforming presence of the Spirit of the Lord (3:12-18); and (4) its openness flows out of the fullness of the revelation of the glory of God in Christ as received by the apostle (4:1-6).
III. From the Text
Introduction
Paul’s personal defense of his apostolic ministry, begun formally in 1:12, now takes the form of a presentation of the new covenant ministry in comparison with and in contrast to the ministry of Moses, particularly as seen in a narrative from the second giving of the Mosaic Law in Exodus 34:29-35. The apostolic ministry is Paul’s theme as indicated by his six-fold use in various grammatical forms of the term in our passage (3:3, 6, 7, 8, 9; 4:1) for he is seeking biblical support for his affirmations of confidence (v 3) and hope (v 12) in his new covenant ministry. Although the term “ministry” here and in the New Testament refers generally to the “called” ministry and not to the expected self-less service of all Christians to others as we noted earlier, yet we, as authentic members of the historic Christian Church, are recipients of and live in the spiritual realm or era of what Paul calls the new covenant ministry (3:6). We are partakers of a new time in the history of salvation that exists in tension with the “old time,” this “present evil age” (Gal 1:4). Paul further characterizes this ministry as a ministry of “righteousness” (3:9), but most significantly in this passage it is for him a “ministry of the Spirit” (3:8), a ministry that becomes increasingly and thoroughly Christological, for in “the face of Christ” we know “the glory of God” (4:6). This is where we live and serve as Christians.
So what is this “new covenant ministry of the Spirit,” or how do we understand the privileged life of the Church in the New Testament age, this era of prophetic fulfillment? Paul defines this ministry as fivefold:
a ministry whose credibility is that of the changed lives of the people who make up the church (3:1-3). a ministry whose confidence does not come from any human competence but from God (3:4-6). a ministry whose splendor transcends that of the old covenant (3:7-11). a ministry whose freedom liberates its recipients to a life-long transformation of moral and spiritual life (3:12-18). a ministry whose confidence is fully in the gospel that is proclaimed (4:1-6).
First,
this “new covenant ministry” in the Christian era is a ministry whose credibility is that of the changed lives of the people who make up the church (3:1-3), for “you are a letter from Christ . . . written . . . with the Spirit of the living God . . . on tablets of human hearts” (3:3). As the ancient church fathers understood our text, “the Corinthians themselves are all the recommendation Paul needed. They are like a personal letter from Christ, written with the Spirit of God” (ACCS VII, 212). The implications here are three. As “a letter from Christ” (1) by our changed lives in the church and the world we are recommending our pastors to all who care to read us. We are affirming his ministry. Chrysostom (344/354-407 C.E.) commented centuries ago that “the virtue of disciples commend the teacher more than any letter” (ACCS VII, 213). As “a letter from Christ” (2) we by the way we speak and act in our community are recommending our church to all who are observing us. A store is known by its products and its services. As “a letter from Christ” most significantly (3) we by the radiance emanating from our living and loving are recommending Jesus. To paraphrase William Barclay as he sums it up, every Christian, like it or not, is an advertisement for Christ, the Church, and Christianity. Their honour is in the hands of is followers. We judge a shopkeeper by the kind of goods sold; we judge craftsman by the kind of articles produced. We judge a Church by the kind of people it creates; and therefore the world judges Christ by his followers (1956, 208-209). Attractive Christians “are not made with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; for the gifts and graces that constitute the mind that was in Christ are produced in you by the Holy Ghost” (Clark 1854, 323).
Second,
this “new covenant ministry” that defines us as Christians is a ministry whose confidence does not come from any human competence but from God (3:4-6), for it is only “ours through Christ before God [whose] Spirit gives life” (3:6). The apostle is speaking of his confidence in relation to his ministry to the Corinthians as based in his call and the reality of the Spirit. Like Paul our confidence as Christians to be faithful to God on the one hand and to be adequate representatives of our Lord in our circles of work, friends, and family on the other, does not have its ultimate source in ourselves. As Paul wrote about the old covenant as being “weakened as it always was by fractured human nature” (Rom 8:3, The Message), we have all discovered to our dismay that the wisdom of our intellects and the strength of our moral wills do not always suffice for our obedience to God and faithful witness in the world. Neither talent nor learning, nor even position, can in themselves make for spiritual competence. Rather confidence and competence in ministry come from the presence of God in the new covenant through Christ. The intent of the old covenant is now fulfilled as we now walk according to “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2; NASB), for the Spirit does not discourage or kill but “gives life” (cf. Rom 8:11). The Spirit enables the moral and spiritual life and speaks through our presence to others. For like Paul we live “through Christ before God,” we are people through whom the graces of the Spirit radiate.
Third,
this “new covenant ministry” that defines us as Christians in the world is thus a ministry whose splendor transcends that of the old covenant (3:7-11), for “will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?” (3:8). Paul returns to the Scriptures seeking its intention in context for the foundation of his defense. With John Chrysostom (344/354-407 C.E.) this “does not disparage the Old Testament but highly commends it, since comparisons are apt to be made between things which are basically similar in kind” (ACCS, VII, 220). So what was the splendour of the old covenant? First, the shine on Moses’ face (vv 7, 13; cf. Exod 34:29-35) speaks of the “awe-full” majesty of Sinai where the old covenant was made (Exod 19:16-19; 20:18-19; 24:1-18): “To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain” (Exod 24:17; cf. Psalm 18:7-15). Many centuries later the writer to the Hebrews described Sinai as “a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them” (12:18-19). Second at the heart of the old covenant was the two-fold giving of the Ten Words (haddbarim) or “Ten Commandments” (Exod 34:28; cf. 20:1-21; 34:1-28), spiritual and moral behaviors that have not lost their relevance, but are neglected by much of human society to its sorrow, self-destruction, and despair. As originally intended the Ten Words were a means of grace, given to mediate the presence of God to the lives of the people, “God has come to test you” or “that you may have experience of him,” “so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Exod 20:20). But sadly we read that “the people remained at a distance while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was” (20:21). The splendor of the old covenant was that even then the people were called to and offered the opportunity of enabled lives in the presence of God, but they preferred the letter to the spirit, leaving them vulnerable to the idolatrous condition of the Israelites described in Exodus chapters 32-33, and leading to the picture of veiled hearts of the Jewish people Paul has painted in our text with his use of Exodus 34:29-35. The covenant mediated by Moses with the people of Israel with the giving of the law on Sinai was the first of the two most momentous moments in all of human history—the revelation of God through Moses and the divine revelation in the incarnate Jesus of the Gospels.
The splendor of the new is the accomplishment or fulfillment of the original design of the old as the great mind of Augustine (354-430 C.E.) could see: “How does the Spirit give life? By causing the letter to be fulfilled, so that it may not kill” (ACCS VII, 217). This is best seen as
Fourth,
Paul presents this ministry as a ministry whose freedom liberates its recipients to a life-long transformation of moral and spiritual life (3:12-18), for all of us, with unveiled face, seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; just as from the Lord, the Spirit (3:18). Ironic is the fact that in a passage so difficult to interpret technically, opened up clearly to the Christian are possibilities of the transformation of moral character and spiritual life beyond the ability of human language to describe. This is to be expected for with the age of the new covenant God’s final consummation time has entered qualitatively into our broken and complex times. James B. Chapman, an early leader in the Church of the Nazarene, in the first half of the last century suggested that “there is no ‘ceiling’ for us. The topless heaven above beckons us on to everlasting progress.”
This reminds us of John 14:2 where Jesus was describing to his disciples the life now possible due to the soon coming of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:16-18; 15:26-27; 16:7-11), with the promise that “in my Father’s house are many rooms.” Indicated are the richness and variety of possibilities available to the disciple when the Spirit comes for the Father “gives the Spirit without limit” (John 3:34). The picture is that of an ancient castle with endless unexplored rooms that will take a lifetime of delightful discovery to enter and enjoy. In her classic work on prayer, The Interior Castle (1577), Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) imagines “our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms.” Her seven dwelling places of The Interior Castle “are not seven, but a million”! J. Mary Luti, interpreting Teresa at this point, writes that
We are invited to seek within the companionship of God and Christ, to glimpse within the beauty and worth of our humanness, to cherish within the dignity of our having been created in God’s image and redeemed by Christ’s love, and to experience at every turn the invitation to ever-increasing intimacy.”
Or in another idiom, “this is truly perfection: never to stop growing toward what is better and never placing any limit on perfection” (ACCS VII, 226) is the vision of the Cappadocian Father, Gregory of Nyssa (335-394 C.E.). This takes place as we are “seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror” (NRSV). In Classical writers mirror image conveys three ideas, purity as a mirror’s clean surface, self-knowledge (Jas 1:23), and indirect knowledge (1 Cor 13:12; Harris 2005, 315). To gaze life-long at the glory of God in face of Christ who is the image of God continually (1) purifies our motives and perspectives in the light of the holy, (2) grants to us a knowledge of ourselves in comparison with the incarnate Jesus (cf. 1 John 2:6; 3:3; 4:17), and (3) allows for an unseen working of the Spirit in our innermost beings that only others can observe. All this is involved in Paul’s admonition to the Philippians to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Phil 2:12-13; cf. Rom 12:1-2). Discipline and grace go together as we are being transformed “with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (3:18). As privileged Christians of the new covenant we have open access (1) to the presence of God, (2) to the deep needs of our own hearts, and (3) to the sure hope of the glory of God forever (cf. Rom 5:1-5). We sing with W. D. Longstaff the text’s admonition to us,
Take time to be holy. The world rushes on; Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.
Fifth
no wonder then, as Paul returns to the conduct of his own apostolic ministry, that he declares that his ministry is finally a ministry whose confidence is fully in the gospel that is proclaimed (4:1-6), for “ by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God . . . who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (4:2, 6, NRSV). Paul’s ministry focuses on “the truth,” which is “the gospel of the glory of Christ,” defined even more as “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” For the called minister, and for all of us who as Christians and churchman share in their ministry, the implications are life-determining.
First, we need not surrender to deep discouragement for we are dealing with “the truth” of God as revealed to us in Jesus the crucified and resurrected Son of God. We are dealing with the full and final revelation of God to humankind. Here our faith says that the ultimate meaning, the base line reality of the earth and the cosmos, of all history and eternity without end, is seen in the face of Christ: “He is before all things and in him all things hold together” (Col 1:17; cf. vv 15-20; Eph 1:3-23). All this belongs to the gospel we know and share.
Second, the methods we use to share the gospel are never deceptive nor do we “distort the word of God,” but ”by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God” (NRSV). In every way in our relation to the gospel of Christ we are transparent. John Wesley wrote that it was never Paul’s practice to “falsify” (NRSV) his message "by any additions or alterations, or by attempting to accommodate it to the taste of the hearers” (1950, 652). Integrity in one's ministerial methodology and honesty with the Word go together always (cf. 2:17).
Therefore third, the gospel is not about us, our confidence is not in ourselves, for we, writes Paul, “do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” New Testament scholar and preacher C. E. B. Cranfield, commenting on our text in 1965, left us words that are penetratingly as relevant now as they were then:
Of the various temptations which beset the Christian minister, one of the chief and deadliest is the temptation to preach himself. It is an extremely insidious tendency, and none of us can claim that he has never yielded to it. . . . Many of us are sensitive enough to recognize when a colleague succumbs at all obviously to it; but to notice when one yields to it oneself is very much harder. And usually when we succumb to it, we are quite unaware of what is happening. . . . It is possible to preach oneself quite blatantly, as, for example, when a preacher makes no really serious attempt at all to expound the Scriptures, offering to his congregation his own ideas, opinions, and prejudices. But more often the preaching of oneself is decently disguised and, indeed, unconscious—all the more dangerous because it is not at all obvious. There is the temptation to exploit the gospel, to exploit its drama, pathos, solemnity, and majesty, for the display of one’s own powers, one’s ability, eloquence, humor, learning, gifts of popular exposition. . . . To this temptation every minister without exception yields to some extent. . . . Congregations are apt to put a stumbling block in a minister’s way, in relation to this temptation, and to encourage him to yield to it. For they are prone to like to be entertained and to enjoy a minister’s self-exhibition. They are prone, too, to indulge in a personality cult. But this is the unkindest thing that a congregation has in its power to do to its pastor, for it tempts him to betray his ministry.
Have we ever seen this “unkind thing,” or perhaps even been guilty of it?
Conclusion
We are privilege partakers of a “new covenant ministry of the Spirit.” Our lives as Christians are based, according to the apostle Paul, on a fivefold ministry:
a ministry whose credibility is that of the changed lives of the people who make up the church (3:1-3). a ministry whose confidence does not come from any human competence but from God (3:4-6). a ministry whose splendor transcends that of the old covenant (3:7-11). a ministry whose freedom liberates its recipients to a life-long transformation of moral and spiritual life (3:12-18). a ministry whose confidence is fully in the gospel that is proclaimed (4:1-6).
Bold type is my emphasis. John W. Wright, “To Re-Present the Triune God on Behalf of the Church: Ministry (Diakonia) in Ignatius of Antioch,” in Brad E. Kelle, ed., The Wise Shepherd: Biblical and Theological Resources’ for the Pastoral Task (San Diego: Point Loma Press, 2006), 64-65. Wright bases the thesis of his essay on the work of John N. Collins, DIAKONIA: Re-interpreting the Ancient Sources (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990). Collins’ scholarly findings are presented in a more popular manner in a follow-up volume entitled Are All Christians Ministers? (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1992). Collins, Christians, 1. The outline of 2 Corinthians as followed in the Commentary. An Apostolic Introduction, 1:1-11 Paul Greets the Church, 1:1-2 Paul Praises God for His Comfort, 1:3-11 The Apostolic Ministry, 1:12—7:16 Paul Reveals His Intentions, 1:12—2:17 Paul Characterizes His Ministry, 3:1—6:10 1. Thanksgiving for Triumph in Christ (2:14-17) A Ministry of the Spirit (3:1—4:6) 3. A Ministry of Suffering (4:7—5:10) A Ministry of Reconciliation (5:11—6:10) C. Paul Has Confidence in the Church, 6:11-7:16 The Grace of Christian Giving, 8:1—9:15 A. Paul Collects an Offering, 8:1-15 B. Paul Chooses Messengers, 8:16—9:15 Vindication of Paul’s Authority, 10:1—13:14 Paul Answers His Opponents, 10:1-18 Paul Boasts in His Foolishness, 11:1—12:13 C. Paul Plans for a Third Visit, 12:14—13:10 D. Paul Concludes the Letter, 13:11-14
Black type indicates what remains of the text from the 1967 BBC on 2 Corinthians. Since the commentary is based on the New International Version we use its text rather than the New Revised Standard Version as we usually do in our lessons. An example from 6 C.E. reads: “Apollonius to Serapion the strategus and gymnasiarch, many greetings and good health always. Isidorus, the one who is delivering this letter, is from my household. I ask you to consider him as introduced to you, and if he come to you for anything do it for him for my sake. If you do this, I will be indebted to you. Whatever you wish to signify I will do without delay. Take care of yourself so that you will be in good health. Farewell”(quoted from Stowers 1986, 157). Paul had carried such letters in his persecution of the first Christians (Acts 9:2; 22:5) and often included recommendations in his letters as in Romans 16:1-2 (cf. 1 Cor 16:1-2; 2 Cor 8:22-23; Eph. 6:21-22; Col. 4:7-8, 10; Phlm 10-12, 17-19). Their use was widespread in the New Testament Church (cf. Acts 15:25-27; 18:27). Philemon and 3 John are often viewed as letters of recommendation.
The Septuagint (LXX) text of Exodus 34:29-35 from which Paul was working reads: “As Moses was coming down from the mountain, he had the two tablets in his hands. While he was descending he did not realize that the skin of his face had become radiant (dedoxastai) [see same root in 3:7-11, 18; 4:4, 6, translated as “glory” and “glorious”] in appearance because he had been speaking with the Lord. And when Aaron and all the elders of Israel saw Moses, the skin of his face was radiant (ēn dedoxasmenē) in appearance, and they were afraid to approach him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. After this all the people Israel came to him, and he delivered to them all the commandments that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he would take off his veil until he went out. After he had gone out, he would tell all the people of Israel whatever the Lord had commanded him. The people of Israel saw that the face of Moses was radiant (dedoxastai), and so Moses paced a veil over his face until he went in to converse with the Lord.” The translation is from Murray J. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 200), 276-277. Here we include excerpts from that more detailed exegesis the flow of Paul’s thought in the passage that can be read at your leisure if you are interested in Paul’s precise argument. Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians 6:1-2. NPNF 1 12:306. Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians 7.2. NPNF 1 12:310. See Moshe Greenberg, “nsh in Exodus 20:20 and the Purpose of Sinaitic Theophany,” Journal of Biblical Literature, 79 (1960), 275. Note that the purpose of the giving of the law is anticipated in Exodus 15:26: “I am the LORD who heals you.” See the law language in 15:25-26 that occurs even before the report of Sinai. Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians 6.2. FC 38:222. Quoted from Paul T. Culbertson, More Like the Master: How to Develop a Christlike Personality (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press, 1966), 165. Ciriaco Moro’n-Arroyo, “’I Will Give you a Living Book’: Spiritual Currents at Work in the Time of St Teresa of Jesus,” Carmelite Studies: Centenary of St Teresa (Catholic University Symposium—October 15-17, 1982), ed. John Sullivan, OCD (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1984), 110. J. Mary Luti, Teresa of Avila’s Way, The Way of the Christian Mystics 13, ed. Noel Dermot O’Dionoghue, OCD (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991), 88. On Perfection, FC 58:122. Bold text is mine. “Minister and Congregation in the Light of II Corinthians 4:5-7,” Interpretation (April, 1965), 163-164
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Frank G. Carver