CONFIDENCE AND COMPETENCE THAT COME FROM GOD

Passage: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Key verse: 3

NIV

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves(A) again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation(B) to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.(C) 3 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,(D) not on tablets of stone(E) but on tablets of human hearts.(F)

4 Such confidence(G) we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves(H) to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.(I) 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant(J)—not of the letter(K) but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.(L)

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Ministers of the New Covenant

3 (A)Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, (B)as some do, (C)letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 (D)You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of (E)the living God, not on (F)tablets of stone but on (G)tablets of (H)human hearts.[b]

4 (I)Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 (J)Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but (K)our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be (L)ministers of (M)a new covenant, not of (N)the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but (O)the Spirit gives life.

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Footnotes
  1. 2 Corinthians 3:2 Some manuscripts your
  2. 2 Corinthians 3:3 Greek fleshly hearts
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Paul responds to those accusing him and Timothy of lacking ‘official’ credentials. The church in Corinth was itself a letter of recommendation, written on human hearts by the Holy Spirit. It was the fruit of Paul and Timothy’s ministry.

Paul was confident in serving God. his confidence did not come from any human source, but from the competence given by God, as ministers of a new covenant. This new covenant was of the Spirit, that gives life. We should not fall into the trap of looking for confidence or competence in ourselves or our resumes. We have all we need through Christ to serve him boldly and ably.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making me competent to be a minister of the new covenant.

One Word: He has made us competent