2 Corinthians 3:6
Verse
Context
Sermons
Bill McLeod
David Ravenhill
Zac Poonen
George Warnock
Leonard RavenhillSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Who hath made us able ministers - This is a more formal answer to the question, Who is sufficient for these things? προς ταυτα τις ἱκανος; Co1 2:16. God, says the apostle, has made us able ministers; ἱκανωσεν ἡμας διακονους, he has made us sufficient for these things; for the reader will observe that he uses the same word in both places. We apostles execute, under the Divine influence, what God himself has devised. We are ministers of the new covenant; of this new dispensation of truth, light, and life, by Christ Jesus; a system which not only proves itself to have come from God, but necessarily implies that God himself by his own Spirit is a continual agent in it, ever bringing its mighty purposes to pass. On the words καινη διαθηκη, new covenant, see the Preface to the gospel of St. Matthew. Not of the letter, but of the Spirit - The apostle does not mean here, as some have imagined, that he states himself to be a minister of the New Testament, in opposition to the Old; and that it is the Old Testament that kills, and the New that gives life; but that the New Testament gives the proper meaning of the Old; for the old covenant had its letter and its spirit, its literal and its spiritual meaning. The law was founded on the very supposition of the Gospel; and all its sacrifices, types, and ceremonies refer to the Gospel. The Jews rested in the letter, which not only afforded no means of life, but killed, by condemning every transgressor to death. They did not look at the spirit; did not endeavor to find out the spiritual meaning; and therefore they rejected Christ, who was the end of the law for justification; and so for redemption from death to every one that believes. The new covenant set all these spiritual things at once before their eyes, and showed them the end, object, and design of the law; and thus the apostles who preached it were ministers of that Spirit which gives life. Every institution has its letter as well as its spirit, as every word must refer to something of which it is the sign or significator. The Gospel has both its letter and its spirit; and multitudes of professing Christians, by resting in the Letter, receive not the life which it is calculated to impart. Water, in baptism, is the letter that points out the purification of the soul; they who rest in this letter are without this purification; and dying in that state they die eternally. Bread and wine in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, are the letter; the atoning efficacy of the death of Jesus, and the grace communicated by this to the soul of a believer, are the spirit. Multitudes rest in this letter, simply receiving these symbols, without reference to the atonement, or to their guilt; and thus lose the benefit of the atonement and the salvation of their souls. The whole Christian life is comprehended by our Lord under the letter, Follow me. Does not any one see that a man, taking up this letter only, and following Christ through Judea, Galilee, Samaria, etc., to the city, temple, villages, seacoast, mountains, etc., fulfilled no part of the spirit; and might, with all this following, lose his soul? Whereas the Spirit, viz. receive my doctrine, believe my sayings, look by faith for the fulfillment of my promises, imitate my example, would necessarily lead him to life eternal. It may be safely asserted that the Jews, in no period of their history, ever rested more in the letter of their law than the vast majority of Christians are doing in the letter of the Gospel. Unto multitudes of Christians Christ may truly say: Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
able--rather, as the Greek is the same, corresponding to Co2 3:5, translate, "sufficient as ministers" (Eph 3:7; Col 1:23). the new testament--"the new covenant" as contrasted with the Old Testament or covenant (Co1 11:25; Gal 4:24). He reverts here again to the contrast between the law on "tables of stone," and that "written by the Spirit on fleshly tables of the heart" (Co2 3:3). not of the letter--joined with "ministers"; ministers not of the mere literal precept, in which the old law, as then understood, consisted; "but of the Spirit," that is, the spiritual holiness which lay under the old law, and which the new covenant brings to light (Mat. 5:17-48) with new motives added, and a new power of obedience imparted, namely, the Holy Spirit (Rom 7:6). Even in writing the letter of the New Testament, Paul and the other sacred writers were ministers not of the letter, but of the spirit. No piety of spirit could exempt a man from the yoke of the letter of each legal ordinance under the Old Testament; for God had appointed this as the way in which He chose a devout Jew to express his state of mind towards God. Christianity, on the other hand, makes the spirit of our outward observances everything, and the letter a secondary consideration (Joh 4:24). Still the moral law of the ten commandments, being written by the finger of God, is as obligatory now as ever; but put more on the Gospel spirit of "love," than on the letter of a servile obedience, and in a deeper and fuller spirituality (Mat. 5:17-48; Rom 13:9). No literal precepts could fully comprehend the wide range of holiness which LOVE, the work of the Holy Spirit, under the Gospel, suggests to the believer's heart instinctively from the word understood in its deep spirituality. letter killeth--by bringing home the knowledge of guilt and its punishment, death; Co2 3:7, "ministration of death" (Rom 7:9). spirit giveth life--The spirit of the Gospel when brought home to the heart by the Holy Spirit, gives new spiritual life to a man (Rom 6:4, Rom 6:11). This "spirit of life" is for us in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2, Rom 8:10), who dwells in the believer as a "quickening" or "life-giving Spirit" (Co1 15:45). Note, the spiritualism of rationalists is very different. It would admit no "stereotyped revelation," except so much as man's own inner instrument of revelation, the conscience and reason, can approve of: thus making the conscience judge of the written word, whereas the apostles make the written word the judge of the conscience (Act 17:11; Pe1 4:1). True spirituality rests on the whole written word, applied to the soul by the Holy Spirit as the only infallible interpreter of its far-reaching spirituality. The letter is nothing without the spirit, in a subject essentially spiritual. The spirit is nothing without the letter, in a record substantially historical.
John Gill Bible Commentary
Who also hath made us able ministers,.... This is an answer to the question in Co2 2:16 who is sufficient for these things? no man is of himself; we are indeed sufficient for them, but not of ourselves; our sufficiency is of God, he hath made us able, or sufficient ministers: such ministers as are not of men's, but God's making, are sufficient ones; and none are sufficient but whom God makes so; and those he makes able and sufficient, by giving them spiritual gifts, fitting them for the ministry: and these are ministers of the New Testament, or "covenant"; the covenant of grace, of which Christ is the Mediator and surety; called "new", not because newly made, for it was made with Christ from everlasting; nor newly revealed, for it was made known to Adam after his fall, and to all the Old Testament patriarchs, and was exhibited under the legal dispensation, though but darkly, in types, shadows, sacrifices, &c. which therefore waxing old is vanished away; and the covenant of grace is now more clearly revealed under the Gospel dispensation, free from all the obscurity it before laboured under; and therefore is called "new", as well as because it will always continue so, and never give way to another covenant: now the Gospel, and the ministry of it, is nothing else but an exhibition of the covenant of grace, its blessings and promises; and the work and business of those who are ministers of it is not to insist upon the covenant of works, the terms, conditions, obligations, promises, and threatenings of that covenant; but to open and explain the nature, promises, and blessings of the covenant of grace: for such who are fit and proper ministers, are ministers not of the letter, but of the spirit; which is to be understood, not of any difference between the books of the Old and the New Testament, for a faithful minister of the word may and will bring forth things new and old, out of the one as well as the other; nor of the literal and allegorical, or mystical sense of the Scriptures, as if the latter and not the former was only to be attended to; nor of the difference of communicating the Gospel by letters, and preaching it by word of mouth; since both methods may be used for the spread of it, as were by the apostles themselves; but of the difference there is between the law and the Gospel. The law is "the letter", not merely because written in letters, for so likewise is the Gospel; but because it is a mere letter, hereby showing what is to be done or avoided, without any efficacy in it, or communicating any to enable persons to obey its commands, to give life to its observers, or either to sanctify or justify any who are under it, or of the works of it; it is a mere letter, as observed by an unregenerate man, who only regards the externals of it, being unacquainted with its spirituality. The Gospel is "the spirit"; see Joh 6:63 it contains spiritual things, and not things merely natural, moral, and civil, as does the law, but spiritual blessings and promises; it penetrates into the spirit and soul of man, and comes from, and is attended with the Spirit of God. The law is the letter that killeth, by irritating and provoking to sin, the cause of death, which though not the design and natural tendency of the law, and therefore not to be blamed, yet so it is, through the corruption of human nature; and by convincing of sin when the sinner is killed, and it dead in his own apprehension; and by not only threatening with death, but by cursing, condemning, and punishing with it: but the Gospel is the spirit, which giveth life; it is a means in the hand of the Spirit of God, of quickening dead sinners, of healing the deadly wounds of sin, of showing the way of life by Christ, and of working faith in the soul, to look to him, and live upon him; it affords food for the support of the spiritual life, and revives souls under the most drooping circumstances. The apostle may allude to a distinction among the Jews, between the body and soul of the law; the words, they say, are , "the body of the law"; and the book of the law is the clothing; and besides these, there is , "the soul of the law"; which wise men look into (w). (w) Zohar in Numb. fol. 63. 2.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
Here the apostle makes a comparison between the Old Testament and the New, the law of Moses and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and values himself and his fellow-labourers by this, that they were able ministers of the New Testament, that God had made them so, Co2 3:6. This he does in answer to the accusations of false teachers, who magnify greatly the law of Moses. I. He distinguishes between the letter and the spirit even of the New Testament, Co2 3:6. As able ministers of the New Testament, they were ministers not merely of the letter, to read the written word, or to preach the letter of the gospel only, but they were ministers of the Spirit also; the Spirit of God did accompany their ministrations. The letter killeth; this the letter of the law does, for that is the ministration of death; and if we rest only in the letter of the gospel we shall be never the better for so doing, for even that will be a savour of death unto death; but the Spirit of the gospel, going along with the ministry of the gospel, giveth life spiritual and life eternal. II. He shows the difference between the Old Testament and the New, and the excellency of the gospel above the law. For, 1. The Old Testament dispensation was the ministration of death (Co2 3:7), whereas that of the New Testament is the ministration of life. The law discovered sin, and the wrath and curse of God. This showed us a God above us and a God against us; but the gospel discovers grace, and Emmanuel, God with us. Upon this account the gospel is more glorious than the law; and yet that had a glory in it, witness the shining of Moses's face (an indication thereof) when he came down from the mount with the tables in his hand, that reflected rays of brightness upon his countenance. 2. The law was the ministration of condemnation, for that condemned and cursed every one who continued not in all things written therein to do them; but the gospel is the ministration of righteousness: therein the righteousness of God by faith is revealed. This shows us that the just shall live by his faith. This reveals the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ, for obtaining the remission of sins and eternal life. The gospel therefore so much exceeds in glory that in a manner it eclipses the glory of the legal dispensation, Co2 3:10. As the shining of a burning lamp is lost, or not regarded, when the sun arises and goes forth in his strength; so there was no glory in the Old Testament, in comparison with that of the New. 3. The law is done away, but the gospel does and shall remain, Co2 3:11. Not only did the glory of Moses's face go away, but the glory of Moses's law is done away also; yea, the law of Moses itself is now abolished. That dispensation was only to continue for a time, and then to vanish away; whereas the gospel shall remain to the end of the world, and is always fresh and flourishing and remains glorious.
2 Corinthians 3:6
Ministers of a New Covenant
5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.6And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
The Return of God's Glory
By Bill McLeod17K53:35Glory Of God2CO 3:6In this sermon, the speaker shares a powerful testimony of a meeting where the glory of God was experienced. It started with one person praying and soon others joined, resulting in a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The meeting lasted for over four hours, with people confessing their sins and seeking God's presence. The speaker emphasizes the need for the glory of God to return to our churches and lives, and encourages repentance, prayer, faith, and identification with Christ as the simple yet costly price to pay for experiencing God's glory.
(Deeper Waters) Session 4 - Prayer
By David Ravenhill9.9K1:34:19MAT 6:33LUK 11:12CO 3:6EPH 1:17In this sermon, the speaker discusses the concept of serving God and the different areas of ministry. He emphasizes the importance of worship as the first priority in serving God. The speaker references Luke 17:7, where Jesus talks about a slave who is expected to serve his master before taking care of his own needs. The sermon also touches on the challenges faced by new believers when sharing their faith with skeptical family and friends. Overall, the message encourages believers to prioritize worship and faithfully serve God in both evangelism and pastoral ministry.
(Basics) 21. Law and Grace
By Zac Poonen4.8K12:49MAT 6:33MAT 11:11ROM 6:142CO 3:6EPH 2:8HEB 4:16In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant, between law and grace. The verse in Romans 6:14 is highlighted as a concise statement that captures the essential difference between the two. The old covenant, represented by the law, was mediated through Moses and had its limitations, while the new covenant, represented by grace through Jesus, is far superior. The speaker uses the analogy of a bicycle and an airplane to illustrate the vast difference between the two covenants in terms of their ability to bring people to a higher standard of life and fellowship with God.
Charlotte Seminar 5-27-00 Pm
By George Warnock2.4K1:19:58SeminarEXO 13:21EXO 16:4EXO 17:6PSA 95:1ROM 4:202CO 3:6HEB 3:10In this sermon, the preacher reflects on the Israelites' journey in the wilderness for 40 years. Despite witnessing numerous miracles and provisions from God, the generation of Israelites during that time did not truly know God or understand His ways. The preacher emphasizes the importance of genuine worship and praise, rather than using it as a form of entertainment. He also highlights the faithfulness of God in providing for His people, such as giving them manna from heaven and water from a rock. The sermon concludes with a reminder of God's power and victory in the story of Gideon and how God fought for His people.
K-253 Latent Anti-Semitism (1 of 2)
By Art Katz2.3K1:19:28Anti-SemitismMAT 10:14ROM 9:12CO 3:6EPH 3:1In this sermon, the speaker shares a personal experience of a conversation with a man who had a profound impact on him. The man suggests that what the world needs is for people to wash one another's feet, a symbol of humility and service. This statement deeply affects the speaker, causing him to reflect on his own arrogance and the need for a revolution against the system. The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing our own lostness and anguish for the salvation of others, drawing parallels to the cries of Paul and Jesus in the Bible.
Questions and Answers
By Leonard Ravenhill2.0K59:25Question AnswerISA 6:1MAT 6:332CO 3:62CO 4:42CO 5:14In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of disciplining children with love. They suggest that if something is taken away from a child, it should be replaced with something else. The speaker also encourages the establishment of a family altar in every home, where children can be instructed in the word of God. They mention a set of tapes called "Bible in Living Sound" as a helpful resource for teaching children biblical stories. The sermon concludes with a reminder that obedience is the secret to the Christian life, and a moment of prayer is offered.
Fren-18 Apostolic Foundations - Preaching
By Art Katz1.9K1:25:39PreachingACT 4:202CO 3:62TI 4:22TI 4:52TI 4:8HEB 4:12In this sermon, the speaker reflects on moments of physical weakness and disorientation while preaching the word of God. Despite the risk of failure and humiliation, the speaker emphasizes the importance of preaching with authority and confidence, knowing that the words spoken are not their own but from God. The speaker shares a personal experience of delivering a powerful message that caused controversy and offense, but also led to a profound encounter with God. The sermon concludes with the reminder that even in moments of discouragement and weariness, the spoken word holds great reverence and power.
The Ministry of the Church - Part 4
By T. Austin-Sparks1.7K30:39Church2CO 2:172CO 3:22CO 3:62CO 3:182CO 4:3In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of being living epistles of Christ. He explains that the gospel spreads not only through preaching, but also through the way believers live their lives as testimonies of Christ. The speaker challenges the idea of needing letters of commendation or certificates of apostleship, stating that believers themselves are the evidence of their faith. He uses the example of the Apostle Paul, who was discredited and without credentials, yet his ministry was powerful because he was an epistle of Christ.
(Covenant Series) 4. Experiencing the Power & Liberty of the New Covenant
By Al Whittinghill1.3K1:09:17Covenant SeriesEXO 19:6EXO 24:3JER 31:312CO 3:22CO 3:6HEB 8:7HEB 8:13In this sermon, the preacher discusses the concept of deserving good treatment and how it relates to our relationship with God. He compares society's questioning of God's love and allowance of suffering to taking grace for granted. The preacher then delves into the significance of the law given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, explaining that it was meant to reveal the crookedness of their hearts and lead them to Jesus, the solution. The sermon concludes by emphasizing the importance of having a new heart through salvation and how our thoughts and actions are a reflection of our heart.
How God Makes Us New Covenant Servants (Tamil)
By Zac Poonen1.3K56:21ISA 53:3ISA 53:10MAT 8:17MAT 11:282CO 3:62CO 12:101TH 5:18HEB 13:161PE 4:10
This sermon emphasizes the importance of being servants of the new covenant, highlighting the need to go through trials and experiences to understand and help others effectively. It discusses the significance of giving thanks in all circumstances, being content with weaknesses and insults, and finding ministry opportunities through personal struggles. The speaker encourages a mindset of gratitude, readiness to face challenges, and a commitment to serve others with compassion and encouragement.
What His Presence Is Not: The Church Today - Part 1
By Ray Andrews1.1K53:48God's PresencePSA 119:11MAT 4:4JHN 1:1JHN 5:39JHN 6:632CO 3:62TI 3:16In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of getting close to Jesus and finding the true witness of the Holy Spirit within ourselves. He encourages the audience to seek a genuine relationship with Christ rather than just seeking knowledge or information. The speaker also highlights the need for the church to be encouraged and disheartened, and questions why there is a lack of spiritual connection. He emphasizes the importance of connecting with the living word of God and finding the man behind the book, Jesus Christ. The sermon references the book of Joshua and the example of David faithfully serving his generation, emphasizing that this is our generation and our day to make a difference.
12 New Wine in New Wineskins - the Beginnings in Bangalore
By Zac Poonen1.0K55:352CO 3:6
This sermon reflects on the journey of faith, highlighting the importance of seeking God in desperation, experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit, facing challenges within the church, and ultimately finding unity and direction through the Holy Spirit. It emphasizes the need for personal encounters with God, the dangers of legalism, the significance of compassion and love, and the importance of being under authority. The speaker shares personal testimonies, insights on veiling for women, and encourages a focus on God's word and revelation.
Sixteen Vital Facets of the Bible
By Keith Daniel8851:15:58Bible1SA 30:6JOB 7:6PSA 94:19PSA 107:20PSA 119:18PSA 119:49PSA 119:81PSA 119:92LUK 24:27JHN 14:26ROM 15:42CO 3:6HEB 11:33In this sermon, the preacher warns about the dangers of being a backslider and burying God's Word for anything. He emphasizes that even in laughter, the heart of a backslider is sorrowful, highlighting the tragedy of pretending to be happy while inwardly weeping. The preacher asserts that it is a hundred times more difficult for a backslider to find a vital relationship with God than it is for a pervert or a drunk to find salvation. He passionately urges those who are not saved to accept Christ before leaving the hall, emphasizing the urgency of salvation. The preacher also encourages the audience to listen to the sermon again and to immerse themselves in God's Word, emphasizing its importance and the treasure it holds.
Burning for God
By G.W. North8761:58:24Knowing GodGEN 2:242CH 23:1MAT 5:172CO 3:6REV 1:10In this sermon, the preacher describes a vision of seeing the Son of Man, who is described as having a majestic appearance with white hair, fiery eyes, and feet like brass. The preacher emphasizes that the words coming out of the Son of Man's mouth are not love and kisses, but a sharp two-edged sword. The preacher warns against being lukewarm in one's faith and urges listeners to truly understand and accept God's message. The sermon also touches on the importance of the mother-child relationship and cautions against being deceived by false teachings.
Growing in the Grace of God #15 - Contrasts Between the Old & New Covenant Part 1
By Bob Hoekstra85955:28MAT 6:33ROM 6:142CO 3:62CO 3:14GAL 3:24HEB 8:6HEB 9:15In this sermon, the speaker discusses the difference between the old and new covenants in relation to the ministry of death and the ministry of life. He emphasizes that the old covenant serves up spiritual death, while the new covenant is a life-giving ministry. The speaker highlights the importance of living by the spirit of God and applying His grace in our daily lives. He also emphasizes the role of faith in accessing God's grace and the sufficiency that comes from trusting in Him.
Growing in the Grace of God #14 - Characters of New Covenant Life & Service Part 2
By Bob Hoekstra78847:17MAT 6:33LUK 23:46ACT 7:51ROM 15:172CO 2:162CO 3:22CO 3:6In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the power of the New Covenant ministry in transforming people into living messages of Christ. He uses the example of Stephen in Acts 7, who boldly preached to the religious leaders and ultimately gave his life for his faith. Despite facing persecution and death, Stephen's message had a profound impact on the early church and continues to inspire believers today. The speaker also challenges the idea of needing commendation letters or credentials to validate one's ministry, highlighting the importance of being a faithful follower of Christ.
Sufficiency for Godly Living #6 - Resurrected Living by God's Sufficiency
By Bob Hoekstra7051:00:45GEN 2:7MAT 6:331CO 15:31CO 15:582CO 2:142CO 3:6EPH 1:19In this sermon, the speaker discusses the challenges and burdens that believers may face in their lives. He emphasizes that even great leaders like Jesus and Paul experienced difficulties and hardships. The speaker shares a personal story about a family who came to know the Lord and highlights the transformation that occurred when they embraced a relationship with Jesus rather than religious practices. He also shares his own experience of feeling hopeless and dead in his ministry until a young man approached him with an opportunity to teach a home Bible study, which ultimately brought him out of his despair. The sermon concludes with the speaker reflecting on the power of God to call believers out of their metaphorical tombs, just as Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb.
Why Don't Most Men Worship? (Clip)
By Shane Idleman65905:58PSA 51:17PSA 95:6JHN 4:24JHN 5:392CO 3:6PHP 2:10
This sermon emphasizes the importance of true worship that goes beyond mere knowledge of the Bible. It highlights how worship, when combined with scripture, leads to a powerful and transformative experience with God. The speaker contrasts the danger of dead formalism with the vitality of heartfelt worship that involves repentance, humility, and brokenness, challenging listeners to engage in genuine worship that touches the heart and transforms lives.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wfd2ncj6eli/hqdefault.jpg
By Zac Poonen65755:43ISA 41:10MAT 3:11MAT 11:11LUK 1:74LUK 1:76JHN 3:30ROM 8:152CO 3:6GAL 5:11JN 4:18
This sermon emphasizes the importance of preparing the way for Jesus Christ's second coming, drawing parallels to John the Baptist's ministry before Christ's first coming. It highlights the need to preach a message that delivers people from fear, encourages repentance from seeking earthly things to seeking heavenly things, and focuses on inward righteousness over outward legalism. The speaker challenges listeners to seek a ministry of righteousness that leads to freedom and love for God, rather than one of condemnation and guilt.
Worship
By David Ravenhill5711:06:14WorshipMAT 4:10MAT 6:33MAT 22:14JHN 4:23ROM 12:12CO 3:6EPH 4:11In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of worship and its often neglected teachings in the Word of God. The sermon focuses on eight aspects of worship: the priority, person, provision, picture, price, posture, purity, and power of worship. The speaker highlights that worship is not limited to specific methods or actions, but rather an attitude of life and constant consciousness of God. The sermon encourages believers to imitate Jesus in doing only what pleases the Father, as this is true worship.
The Word of God (Laurel Mountain Chapel)
By Keith Daniel5141:11:10Word Of GodPSA 107:20PSA 112:1PSA 119:49PSA 119:92PSA 119:162ISA 34:16MAT 6:33LUK 24:27JHN 14:26ROM 15:41CO 2:142CO 3:62TI 3:16HEB 6:5HEB 11:33In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of reading and studying the Word of God. He warns against neglecting the Bible, as it is the source of salvation, spiritual growth, and daily renewal. The preacher highlights that neglecting the Word of God is evidence of backsliding and can lead to sorrow and judgment. He compares the Word of God to a lamp that guides and protects us in darkness, and emphasizes the need for the Holy Spirit's guidance in understanding and applying the Scriptures. The sermon concludes with a prayer for God's cleansing, anointing, and the expectation that He will speak to the hearts of the listeners through His Word.
The Humanity of Jesus
By Zac Poonen47825:47EXO 28:38MAT 1:1MAT 11:29JHN 8:322CO 3:62CO 3:18PHP 2:5HEB 6:1
This sermon emphasizes the importance of knowing the truth to be set free from bondage, highlighting how ignorance can lead to slavery. It discusses the significance of learning from Jesus personally, not just from a book, and the difference between the Old and New Testaments in having a personal example to follow. The humility of Jesus is explored, showcasing how he deliberately chose a humble birth and lineage to identify with sinners and save them.
The Return of God's Glory - Bill Mcleod
By From the Pulpit & Classic Sermons42349:49Radio2CO 3:6In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the need for the glory of God to return to our churches and lives. He highlights the simple yet costly price of repentance, prayer, faith, and identification with Christ. The sermon recounts a powerful revival experience where a professor, after seeking academic knowledge, longed for spiritual encounter with God. This encounter led to a movement of revival in Ontario, Canada, with teams going out to share the message of revival in churches. The sermon also mentions the importance of seeking God's guidance and not relying on human methods in doing God's work.
Normal Life
By G.W. North1451:37:23Christian LifeJOL 2:28ACT 2:16ACT 3:16ACT 8:14ACT 10:442CO 3:62CO 5:13In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit after salvation. He describes the experience of being flooded with the love, knowledge, and glory of God. The preacher encourages the audience to continually seek spiritual growth and understanding, not just relying on their initial baptism in the Spirit. He references biblical examples of people being filled with the Holy Spirit, highlighting the need for believers to be fully immersed in the Spirit's power.
Reclaiming Authentic Christianity
By Brian Guerin329:34The Power of the Holy SpiritAuthentic ChristianityPSA 16:11JOL 2:28MAT 11:28JHN 14:12ACT 10:38ROM 8:191CO 12:42CO 3:6EPH 5:18HEB 1:14Brian Guerin emphasizes the need for authentic Christianity, urging believers to embrace the fullness of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. He shares personal experiences of divine encounters and miracles, encouraging the congregation to seek intimacy with God and to be open to the Holy Spirit's movement. Guerin highlights the importance of character in the manifestation of spiritual gifts and the necessity of being a light in a world filled with fear. He calls for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, believing that God desires to heal and liberate His people from oppression and despair.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Who hath made us able ministers - This is a more formal answer to the question, Who is sufficient for these things? προς ταυτα τις ἱκανος; Co1 2:16. God, says the apostle, has made us able ministers; ἱκανωσεν ἡμας διακονους, he has made us sufficient for these things; for the reader will observe that he uses the same word in both places. We apostles execute, under the Divine influence, what God himself has devised. We are ministers of the new covenant; of this new dispensation of truth, light, and life, by Christ Jesus; a system which not only proves itself to have come from God, but necessarily implies that God himself by his own Spirit is a continual agent in it, ever bringing its mighty purposes to pass. On the words καινη διαθηκη, new covenant, see the Preface to the gospel of St. Matthew. Not of the letter, but of the Spirit - The apostle does not mean here, as some have imagined, that he states himself to be a minister of the New Testament, in opposition to the Old; and that it is the Old Testament that kills, and the New that gives life; but that the New Testament gives the proper meaning of the Old; for the old covenant had its letter and its spirit, its literal and its spiritual meaning. The law was founded on the very supposition of the Gospel; and all its sacrifices, types, and ceremonies refer to the Gospel. The Jews rested in the letter, which not only afforded no means of life, but killed, by condemning every transgressor to death. They did not look at the spirit; did not endeavor to find out the spiritual meaning; and therefore they rejected Christ, who was the end of the law for justification; and so for redemption from death to every one that believes. The new covenant set all these spiritual things at once before their eyes, and showed them the end, object, and design of the law; and thus the apostles who preached it were ministers of that Spirit which gives life. Every institution has its letter as well as its spirit, as every word must refer to something of which it is the sign or significator. The Gospel has both its letter and its spirit; and multitudes of professing Christians, by resting in the Letter, receive not the life which it is calculated to impart. Water, in baptism, is the letter that points out the purification of the soul; they who rest in this letter are without this purification; and dying in that state they die eternally. Bread and wine in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, are the letter; the atoning efficacy of the death of Jesus, and the grace communicated by this to the soul of a believer, are the spirit. Multitudes rest in this letter, simply receiving these symbols, without reference to the atonement, or to their guilt; and thus lose the benefit of the atonement and the salvation of their souls. The whole Christian life is comprehended by our Lord under the letter, Follow me. Does not any one see that a man, taking up this letter only, and following Christ through Judea, Galilee, Samaria, etc., to the city, temple, villages, seacoast, mountains, etc., fulfilled no part of the spirit; and might, with all this following, lose his soul? Whereas the Spirit, viz. receive my doctrine, believe my sayings, look by faith for the fulfillment of my promises, imitate my example, would necessarily lead him to life eternal. It may be safely asserted that the Jews, in no period of their history, ever rested more in the letter of their law than the vast majority of Christians are doing in the letter of the Gospel. Unto multitudes of Christians Christ may truly say: Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
able--rather, as the Greek is the same, corresponding to Co2 3:5, translate, "sufficient as ministers" (Eph 3:7; Col 1:23). the new testament--"the new covenant" as contrasted with the Old Testament or covenant (Co1 11:25; Gal 4:24). He reverts here again to the contrast between the law on "tables of stone," and that "written by the Spirit on fleshly tables of the heart" (Co2 3:3). not of the letter--joined with "ministers"; ministers not of the mere literal precept, in which the old law, as then understood, consisted; "but of the Spirit," that is, the spiritual holiness which lay under the old law, and which the new covenant brings to light (Mat. 5:17-48) with new motives added, and a new power of obedience imparted, namely, the Holy Spirit (Rom 7:6). Even in writing the letter of the New Testament, Paul and the other sacred writers were ministers not of the letter, but of the spirit. No piety of spirit could exempt a man from the yoke of the letter of each legal ordinance under the Old Testament; for God had appointed this as the way in which He chose a devout Jew to express his state of mind towards God. Christianity, on the other hand, makes the spirit of our outward observances everything, and the letter a secondary consideration (Joh 4:24). Still the moral law of the ten commandments, being written by the finger of God, is as obligatory now as ever; but put more on the Gospel spirit of "love," than on the letter of a servile obedience, and in a deeper and fuller spirituality (Mat. 5:17-48; Rom 13:9). No literal precepts could fully comprehend the wide range of holiness which LOVE, the work of the Holy Spirit, under the Gospel, suggests to the believer's heart instinctively from the word understood in its deep spirituality. letter killeth--by bringing home the knowledge of guilt and its punishment, death; Co2 3:7, "ministration of death" (Rom 7:9). spirit giveth life--The spirit of the Gospel when brought home to the heart by the Holy Spirit, gives new spiritual life to a man (Rom 6:4, Rom 6:11). This "spirit of life" is for us in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2, Rom 8:10), who dwells in the believer as a "quickening" or "life-giving Spirit" (Co1 15:45). Note, the spiritualism of rationalists is very different. It would admit no "stereotyped revelation," except so much as man's own inner instrument of revelation, the conscience and reason, can approve of: thus making the conscience judge of the written word, whereas the apostles make the written word the judge of the conscience (Act 17:11; Pe1 4:1). True spirituality rests on the whole written word, applied to the soul by the Holy Spirit as the only infallible interpreter of its far-reaching spirituality. The letter is nothing without the spirit, in a subject essentially spiritual. The spirit is nothing without the letter, in a record substantially historical.
John Gill Bible Commentary
Who also hath made us able ministers,.... This is an answer to the question in Co2 2:16 who is sufficient for these things? no man is of himself; we are indeed sufficient for them, but not of ourselves; our sufficiency is of God, he hath made us able, or sufficient ministers: such ministers as are not of men's, but God's making, are sufficient ones; and none are sufficient but whom God makes so; and those he makes able and sufficient, by giving them spiritual gifts, fitting them for the ministry: and these are ministers of the New Testament, or "covenant"; the covenant of grace, of which Christ is the Mediator and surety; called "new", not because newly made, for it was made with Christ from everlasting; nor newly revealed, for it was made known to Adam after his fall, and to all the Old Testament patriarchs, and was exhibited under the legal dispensation, though but darkly, in types, shadows, sacrifices, &c. which therefore waxing old is vanished away; and the covenant of grace is now more clearly revealed under the Gospel dispensation, free from all the obscurity it before laboured under; and therefore is called "new", as well as because it will always continue so, and never give way to another covenant: now the Gospel, and the ministry of it, is nothing else but an exhibition of the covenant of grace, its blessings and promises; and the work and business of those who are ministers of it is not to insist upon the covenant of works, the terms, conditions, obligations, promises, and threatenings of that covenant; but to open and explain the nature, promises, and blessings of the covenant of grace: for such who are fit and proper ministers, are ministers not of the letter, but of the spirit; which is to be understood, not of any difference between the books of the Old and the New Testament, for a faithful minister of the word may and will bring forth things new and old, out of the one as well as the other; nor of the literal and allegorical, or mystical sense of the Scriptures, as if the latter and not the former was only to be attended to; nor of the difference of communicating the Gospel by letters, and preaching it by word of mouth; since both methods may be used for the spread of it, as were by the apostles themselves; but of the difference there is between the law and the Gospel. The law is "the letter", not merely because written in letters, for so likewise is the Gospel; but because it is a mere letter, hereby showing what is to be done or avoided, without any efficacy in it, or communicating any to enable persons to obey its commands, to give life to its observers, or either to sanctify or justify any who are under it, or of the works of it; it is a mere letter, as observed by an unregenerate man, who only regards the externals of it, being unacquainted with its spirituality. The Gospel is "the spirit"; see Joh 6:63 it contains spiritual things, and not things merely natural, moral, and civil, as does the law, but spiritual blessings and promises; it penetrates into the spirit and soul of man, and comes from, and is attended with the Spirit of God. The law is the letter that killeth, by irritating and provoking to sin, the cause of death, which though not the design and natural tendency of the law, and therefore not to be blamed, yet so it is, through the corruption of human nature; and by convincing of sin when the sinner is killed, and it dead in his own apprehension; and by not only threatening with death, but by cursing, condemning, and punishing with it: but the Gospel is the spirit, which giveth life; it is a means in the hand of the Spirit of God, of quickening dead sinners, of healing the deadly wounds of sin, of showing the way of life by Christ, and of working faith in the soul, to look to him, and live upon him; it affords food for the support of the spiritual life, and revives souls under the most drooping circumstances. The apostle may allude to a distinction among the Jews, between the body and soul of the law; the words, they say, are , "the body of the law"; and the book of the law is the clothing; and besides these, there is , "the soul of the law"; which wise men look into (w). (w) Zohar in Numb. fol. 63. 2.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
Here the apostle makes a comparison between the Old Testament and the New, the law of Moses and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and values himself and his fellow-labourers by this, that they were able ministers of the New Testament, that God had made them so, Co2 3:6. This he does in answer to the accusations of false teachers, who magnify greatly the law of Moses. I. He distinguishes between the letter and the spirit even of the New Testament, Co2 3:6. As able ministers of the New Testament, they were ministers not merely of the letter, to read the written word, or to preach the letter of the gospel only, but they were ministers of the Spirit also; the Spirit of God did accompany their ministrations. The letter killeth; this the letter of the law does, for that is the ministration of death; and if we rest only in the letter of the gospel we shall be never the better for so doing, for even that will be a savour of death unto death; but the Spirit of the gospel, going along with the ministry of the gospel, giveth life spiritual and life eternal. II. He shows the difference between the Old Testament and the New, and the excellency of the gospel above the law. For, 1. The Old Testament dispensation was the ministration of death (Co2 3:7), whereas that of the New Testament is the ministration of life. The law discovered sin, and the wrath and curse of God. This showed us a God above us and a God against us; but the gospel discovers grace, and Emmanuel, God with us. Upon this account the gospel is more glorious than the law; and yet that had a glory in it, witness the shining of Moses's face (an indication thereof) when he came down from the mount with the tables in his hand, that reflected rays of brightness upon his countenance. 2. The law was the ministration of condemnation, for that condemned and cursed every one who continued not in all things written therein to do them; but the gospel is the ministration of righteousness: therein the righteousness of God by faith is revealed. This shows us that the just shall live by his faith. This reveals the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ, for obtaining the remission of sins and eternal life. The gospel therefore so much exceeds in glory that in a manner it eclipses the glory of the legal dispensation, Co2 3:10. As the shining of a burning lamp is lost, or not regarded, when the sun arises and goes forth in his strength; so there was no glory in the Old Testament, in comparison with that of the New. 3. The law is done away, but the gospel does and shall remain, Co2 3:11. Not only did the glory of Moses's face go away, but the glory of Moses's law is done away also; yea, the law of Moses itself is now abolished. That dispensation was only to continue for a time, and then to vanish away; whereas the gospel shall remain to the end of the world, and is always fresh and flourishing and remains glorious.