The Bible Study Podcast, episode 718.

Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of 2 Corinthians with chapter 3.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast.

I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

We continue on with our story with

Chapter 3, and it goes like this. Are we beginning to command ourselves again, or do we need,

like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter

written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 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. Such confidence we have through Christ

before God, not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves,

but our competence comes from God. 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.

Okay. So Paul here is talking about, he need commendations? Does he need to, for someone to say,

this Paul guy is okay. You should listen to this Paul guy. And he's saying the Corinthians

themselves are that recommendation for him because he is writing to the believers, people who believe in Jesus

through the ministry of Paul. Paul founded the church there. Paul brought Christianity to Corinth,

and so he's saying, I don't really need anything else other than your faith, other than the faith

that you are showing, that you yourself are that commendation.

And then that end part here, but not of the letter, but of the spirit for the letter kills,

but the spirit gives life, sounds a lot like the law versus gospel sort of thing.

It's similar sort of thing.

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