This evening we are going to discuss the power of the written letter. Have you ever thought about how powerful writing is? For example, consider how writing is used by the news media to push certain political agendas and worldviews. There’s just something about the written (or printed) word that gives a person’s message the feeling of legitimacy and authority. People will reason that if a publishing company is willing to print it, or if it’s in the newspaper, then it must be true.
This evening we’re going to see how Paul said that our lives are written epistles, and that they are being read by the entire world. Paul said this in order to reveal just how much influence believers can have in impacting the world with the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. So, let’s take a look at what Paul said, and see if we can apply what we learn to our lives.
Paul’s Epistles of Commendation (vv. 1-2)
1 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.
Why did Paul feel the need to speak these particular words to the believers at Corinth? Why did he ask them, “Do we need . . . epistles of commendation to you?” He posed this question, because in the early church, “Unknown Christians . . . carried [epistles] of recommendation to congregations that did not know them. These [epistles] acknowledged their status in the church (Acts 18:27).”(1) We actually do this today in calling pastors, when we ask for their references and seminary diplomas. Now, since Paul had already ministered to the Corinthians many times before, he didn’t feel it was necessary to present them with these epistles again.
The Corinthians asked for these epistles from Paul because they began to doubt the sincerity of his message and ministry. So, what made the Corinthians begin to doubt Paul? Well, if we look back just one verse before this passage, to 2 Corinthians 2:17, we can see the reason why they doubted Paul and why he said exactly what he did. Paul said, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”
There were some individuals at that time who were preaching out of personal gain, delivering watered-down, feel-good messages, because they knew that people would pay them to say exactly what they wanted to hear; and so, there were those who took advantage of the situation. Paul wasn’t preaching for personal gain; but those who took advantage of the ministry and abused it, caused the believers in Corinth to become skeptical of anyone who came among them teaching and preaching.
Paul wanted to assure the Corinthians that his motives for preaching were sincere, so he stated that the Corinthians were his epistles and the only ones that he needed. They were his epistles of recommendation. He meant that all they had to do was judge the results of his former ministry efforts, and they would know that his ministry was genuine and God-led. He told them to look at the fruit of his ministry; to look at the faithfulness of the Corinthian churches to see that the Lord had indeed used him.
Paul’s defense of his own ministry efforts opened the door for a discussion about the Christian witness. So, let’s see what spiritual truth the Lord led Paul to share with the believers in Corinth, and see how we can apply it to our efforts at sharing with people today about our faith in Jesus Christ.
Heart of Stone to Heart of Flesh (v. 3)
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.
Paul made a contrast here between the ministry of the Old Testament, and that of the New Testament. When he mentioned tablets of stone, he was referring to the law of the Old Testament, namely the Ten Commandments, which were written on stone tablets by the very finger of God (Exodus 31:18). The problem with the Old Testament law was that people believed that favor with God could be obtained by keeping every single commandment. The thing is, there were numerous other laws besides the Ten Commandments (613 to be exact), and no one person could obey every single precept of the law.
In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Paul stated that people are unable to gain the Lord’s acceptance through keeping the law, and they are incapable of working hard enough to earn His favor. If we look ahead to 2 Corinthians 3:7, we see how Paul called the Old Testament ministry (which is a works-based ministry) a ministry of death. It is a ministry of death because it can never lead to life in the Lord. Being obedient to the commandments of the law will not result in salvation, for eternal life comes only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
If we consider writing on stone versus writing on a papyrus epistle, we can readily identify a difference between the two, and draw out a spiritual application. Stone is very heavy, like a weight that ties a person down. The Old Testament ministry of the law engraved on tablets of stone was like a ball and chain tied to a person’s soul. An individual who attempted to work for salvation was still trapped as a slave to sin. An epistle, on the other hand, was often made of papyrus, which was a light-weight material. The hearts of those who receive salvation in Jesus are lighthearted and unburdened.
People who try to work for their salvation have a heart of stone, because they can never obtain their goal and they are always bitter inside. But those who have salvation through faith in Christ have a heart of flesh, or a heart softened by the love of God through the Holy Spirit. The love and joy of Christ can be seen in a believer’s life, as though it’s a huge billboard written on that person to be read by all. It is revealed in the person’s lifestyle, by such things as the way he or she treats others and by his or her outlook on life.
Not By Word, but By Spirit (vv. 4-6)
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.
After Paul shared the difference between true believers and those trying to gain salvation by works, he led into a discussion about how Christians are to become effective ministers for Jesus Christ. Paul revealed back in verse 3 that believers are like epistles to be read by all people; so what is significant about an epistle? Why did Paul not say that Christians are “letters” to people, instead of “epistles”?
The reason why Paul used the epistle as an example is because there was a huge difference between an epistle and a letter. For instance, in verse 6 Paul said, “the letter kills.” “The letter was . . . intended only for the person to whom it was addressed.”(2) It was written for one individual person. Sometimes letters were even deadly because they contained the death warrant of individuals. The epistle, on the other hand, was to be read by all people,(3) and nothing was secret. We as Christians need to realize that every person we come into contact with is reading us. Our lives are as open books, and people are reading our actions, and they are watching us very closely.
Back in verse 3, Paul spoke about how we are an epistle written by the Spirit on a tablet of flesh, or the heart. The idea for this discussion that Paul had with the Corinthians is likely derived from his knowledge of the Old Testament scripture. For example, in Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34, the prophet said,
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . . . I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord’.”
Jeremiah said that God’s law would one day be written on people’s hearts, and that we wouldn’t have to teach people the law any longer, saying, “Know the Lord.” This is not to negate our responsibility to teach people, as the Great Commission commands us. But according to Jeremiah, people can learn a whole lot about God without us teaching them if we allow His laws to be written on our hearts. If God’s laws are a part of us, then we are going to display our faith in the Lord by the way we live. Our very lives will serve as a written testimony to the law of love found in Jesus Christ.
In verse 5 Paul said that we are not “sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” I think most us feel insufficient at times when it comes to sharing our faith. We might feel like we don’t know the Scripture well enough to share it with others. The fact of that matter is that we “are insufficient” in and of ourselves; but thankfully, our sufficiency is from God, as the Holy Spirit teaches us what to say in the moment of testimony.
But if we ever find ourselves struggling for the words to say, keep in mind (and be encouraged) that God may choose to speak through our lives and our actions, rather than words. Remember, Jeremiah said there would come a time when we don’t have to tell people to “know the Lord,” because of the indwelling Holy Spirit who has written the law of God on our hearts.
The Scripture should be able to be read in the way we live for Jesus. Non-Christians should be able to see the Love of Christ shining forth from us through the power of the Holy Spirit. And because it is the Spirit working through us, our ministry is being done through the sufficiency of God, and not by our own efforts. And if the Spirit is empowering our ministry efforts, then we have nothing to fear.
When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we became God’s property to do with as He pleases. His desire is to work through us for His glory, and He can do so by the Holy Spirit working in us. We must remember not to fight the Spirit and fall into sin, or people will get the wrong picture of what Christianity is all about. They will see no benefit in becoming a Christian if they do not see a difference in our lives. They will reason, “If it’s not working for them, then why do I need it?”
We are to allow ourselves to be as God’s epistles written to the world, and delivered to the world. Let’s not become private letters written only to the church, but public epistles for the entire world!
Time of Reflection
This evening we have seen that we are considered to be epistles of Jesus Christ to the world. Whether we realize it or not, our every move is being read by the world and has an effect upon how people perceive the one whom we call Savior. To some people we are the only Bible they may ever read. Michael Green has collected a poem that portrays this truth. He says,
You are writing a gospel,
A chapter each day,
By deeds that you do,
By words that you say.
Men read what you write,
Whether faithless or true,
Say! What is the gospel,
According to you?(4)
We need to seriously consider what the Gospel means to us, and what message we wish to portray to the world. Annie Johnson Flint says, “We are the Lord’s last message, given in deed and word. What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?”(5) If you are a Christian, is the print in your story crooked and blurred? If it is, then you need to repent and ask God’s forgiveness for not allowing His Spirit to work in and through you.
We have also heard a message tonight for those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. If you are trying to work your way into heaven by being good, then it’s not going to work. You are still held captive as a slave to sin without Jesus. The only way to enter heaven and gain eternal life is to accept Christ’s death on the cross, believe in His resurrection, and receive the gift of salvation He freely offers to all who call on His name.
NOTES
(1) Richard L. Pratt, Jr., 1 and 2 Corinthians, Holman New Testament Commentary, vol. 7 (ed. Max Anders; Nashville: Holman Reference, 2000), 322.
(2) J. L. W. ,“Epistle,” Achtemier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.) 1985.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), 400.
(5) Ibid., 399.
