2
Cor 3:3 "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly
declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered
by us, written not with ink, but with
the Spirit of the living God; not in tables
of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."
OVERVIEW:
What
does this text mean?
Christ gives the Holy Spirit,
who takes the place of the 10
Commnandments.
OR
Christ gives the Holy Spirit,
who writes the 10 Commandments
on my heart.
EVIDENCE:
Text
Comments
2
Cor 3:3 "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly
declared to be the epistle of Christ
ministered
by us, written not with ink, but with
the Spirit of the living God; not in
tables of stone, but in fleshy tables
of the heart."
The
ministry of Paul and others was powered
by the Spirit, which Christ poured
out on the day of Pentecost.
In the old Covenant, when the law
was pronounced on Mt. Sinai, the people
promised to keep all the words of
the Covenant. However, in the New
Covenant, God makes the promise. He
promises to write the law in the heart,
not on tables of stone.
Jeremiah
31:33 "But this shall be the
covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel; After those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it
in their hearts; and will be their
God, and they shall be my people."
The
10 Commandment law is not what changes.
The method of empowerment for keeping
the law changes from self, to the
Spirit.
II
Cor 3:6 "Who also hath made us
able ministers
of the new testament [covenant]; not
of the letter, but of the spirit: for
the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life."
Under
the new covenant, it is also
important not to follow just the letter,
such as baptism, the cup of wine, unleaven
bread, etc. One has to follow in the
spirit to know what they mean and to
believe.
II
Cor 3:7 "But if the ministration
of death, written and engraven in stones,
was glorious, so that the children of
Israel could not stedfastly behold the
face of Moses for the glory of his
countenance; which glory was to
be done away:"
The
ministration of death on stone (the
10 Commandments point out sin and sin
points to death) was glorious and was
not to be done away. The glory on
the face of Moses was to be done away.
II
Cor 3:8 "How shall not the ministration
of the spirit be rather glorious?"
All
can agree that the ministration of
the Spirit would be more glorious
than the ministration of Moses with
all the sacrifices and offerings.
II
Cor 3:9 "For if the ministration
of condemnation be glory, much more
doth the ministration
of righteousness exceed in glory"
The
ministration of condemnation, which
comes by recognizing sin that is
pointed out by the law, is glory.
But sin condemns. The promise of the
ministration of righteousness by Christ
is much better. Only through Christ
is there forgivness of sin.
The
ministration of Moses and the priests
of the old covenant was in
place until Christ. But now we have
the ministration of Christ who is
our high priest in heaven!
II
Cor 3:10-11 "For even that which
was made glorious had no glory in
this respect, by reason of the glory
that excelleth. For if that which
is done away was glorious, much more
that which remaineth is glorious."
It
is interesting to note that what is
done away was the type of ministration.
The ministration of Moses was being
done away and the ministration of
Christ was taking its place exceeding
in glory.
Heb
10:8-9 "Above when he said, Sacrifice
and offering and burnt offerings and
offering for sin thou wouldest not,
neither hadst pleasure therein; which
are offered by the law;Then
said he, Lo, I come to do thy will,
O God. He taketh away the first,
that he may establish the second."
Sacrifices
of animals for sin are not part of
the 10 Commandments. These cerimonial
laws of Moses were done away by what
Christ did on the cross. Hebrews tells
us that Christ took the first away
and established the second ministration
in heaven.
Examples
of Commandments in New Testament
Rev
12:17 "And the dragon was wroth
with the woman, and went to make war
with the remnant of her seed, which
keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Through
the pages of the new testament we
find the commandments of God being
mentioned. If Corinthians did away
with them the Bible would agree that
it is so, but it does not. Following
are additional examples.
Rev
14:12 "Here is the patience of
the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the
faith of Jesus."
1
John 5:2-3 "By this we know that
we love the children of God, when
we love God, and keep his commandments.For
this is the love of God, that we keep
his commandments: and his commandments
are not grievous."
Rom 13:9 "For the commandments,
"You shall not commit adultery,"
"You shall not murder," "You
shall not steal," "You shall
not bear false witness," "You
shall not covet," and if there
is any other commandment, are all
summed up in this saying, namely,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
NKJV
This
last verse sounds like the 10 commandments.
All of the above verses support the
ongoing validity of the 10 Commandments.
II
Cor 3:14-16 "But their minds were
blinded: for until this day remaineth
the same vail untaken away in the reading
of the old testament [covenant];
which vail is done away in Christ. But
even unto this day, when Moses is read,
the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless
when it shall turn to the Lord, the
vail shall be taken away."
Only
by knowing the Lord can we see Christ
in the old covenant. What a blessing
when the vail is lifted and we see
the symbols and types and prophecies
of Christ in the books of the old
testament. On the road to Emmaus the
diciples had the vail lifted.
Luke
24:25-27 "Then he said unto them,
O fools, and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken:
Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his
glory? And beginning at Moses and
all the prophets, he expounded unto
them in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself."
The
vail was lifted by Christ resulting
in these words" Did not our heart
burn within us". The disciples now
understood the ministration of
Jesus and how he was revealed
in the Old Testament through the ministration
of Moses and the prophets.
SUMMARY:
Moses
was a minister of the old covenant. He
gave the people God's instructions on
how to keep the 10 Commandments law [detailed
requirements on what to do] and what to
do when it was broken [priests & sacrifices].
This glorious system of ministration was
done away with, not the 10 Commandments.
Christ
ministers the new covenant. He gives people
the Spirit who gives people instructions
on how to keep the law [think it, not
just do it] and what to do if it is broken
[repent and trust in Christ to cover sin].
Under the new covenant the law is written
in the heart.
Yes,
the ministration of Christ through the
Holy Spirit was given in place of the
ministration of Moses through sacrifices
and priests. The
Holy Spirit does not replace the 10 Commandments;
rather, he writes the law on our hearts.
