June 20, 2 Corinthians 3
Counselors teach clients to use a two-columned list as a decision-making tool. You’ve probably done it when faced with some choice. In one column you write the positive things about something you’re considering, and in the other column you write the negative consequences or implications. A list helps us compare options, writing the features or costs in
columns. Maybe it’s the one you have versus the new model. Which is better quality? How long will each last? Does the difference in performance justify the expense? Do I really want to do this?
Today’s portion is like a two-columned list. In one column we have the Law, given by God to Moses at Sinai, the old covenant. On the other side we have the gospel of Christ, the new covenant. (You may have to put aside 2,000 years of pre-conditioning to understand why such an analysis was necessary back when Paul wrote this.) Most of the epistles contain teaching to counteract Jewish teachers who wanted to bind the Law of Moses on Gentile converts. Paul had to show that the freedom of the new covenant in Christ was superior to the yoke of the old law. He contrasted the two to show the weakness and failure of the old covenant.
The old was written with ink, or originally carved into stone tablets. The new is written by the Spirit of God on tablets of human hearts. The old killed and condemned; the new gives life and justifies. (That seems like a clincher to me, but Paul goes on.) The old was glorious, so much so that Moses had to wear a veil to cover his face that glowed with the glory of God when he came down from the mountain. But the new is so glorious that the glory of the old one fades away in comparison, just as the glow faded from Moses’ face. The old put a veil between God and those who would draw near him. The new reveals the unveiled glory of God and transforms those who gaze on it into the same image of glory, making us like him. In every way, the new is superior to the old.
Paul said God’s grace made him a competent minister of this new covenant, and the Corinthians’ transformed lives were evidence—like letters from Christ, delivered by Paul, verifying his apostleship. He did not need the Corinthians to issue or check his credentials; they themselves were his credentials.
You may not be tempted to swap your relationship with God in Christ for the types and shadows of the Old Testament. The temptation today would be to exchange the new covenant for an even newer idea claiming to make you complete and give richer meaning to your life. You will likely be tempted to swap your allegiance to Jesus Christ for some temporary worldly gain or momentary gratification of the flesh. Do the comparison. Make the smart choice. Stay with Jesus.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament,
Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—June 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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