Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
I always liked it better when my father acted as a minister of the Spirit rather than a minister of the letter. Make no mistake. He used both because both were necessary. He struggled as all fathers and mothers do to be competent in that service to our children.
Sometimes my father served me with the letter of the law. He told me his will. He commanded me to do it. There was punishment for disobedience. Other times he was a servant of the Spirit by extending forgiveness in Christ for my transgressions. He assured me daily I was his child no matter what.
Paul considered himself the spiritual father of the Corinthian Christians. He laid down the letter of law that kills when they needed it. Nevertheless, Paul considered himself even more a minister of the Spirit; a minister of the new covenant of the gospel that gives life. Paul felt confident in his work. He wrote, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competency comes from God.
In this part of his second letter, the apostle writes about Two Distinct but Equally Glorious Covenants. The Spirit uses the new covenant to give life. The letter of the old covenant deals death.
The predominance of our preaching is the new covenant that gives life. God so loved us that he sent his eternal into the world to live and die as our Savior. Our Savior is Jesus Christ. God gives us competence for our ministry of the Spirit through his strong Word. We sang, “From the cross thy wisdom shining Breaketh forth in conquering might.” Just before our text, Paul put it this way, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” V. 14
The gospel ministry we share is a glorious ministry. The gospel does not condemn sinners but gives new life in Christ. When we were dead in our trespasses and sins, “God who is rich in mercy made us alive in Christ.” [Eph. 2:4] The gospel does not point us to our own vain efforts at righteousness. The gospel imputes to us Christ’s righteousness in his perfect obedience of the law. This glory never fades away from Christ’s face but will shine on us through all eternity in heaven.
What could be more challenging beyond our abilities than being ambassadors for Christ? We are inept of ourselves. It is not our ministry that succeeds. The ministry of the Holy Spirit works through the gospel covenant in Word and sacrament to give new life.
Covenant is an all right word as long as we remember it goes only one-way, from God to us. We promise and contribute nothing. Testament better reflects the gospel. God simply gives us Jesus Christ as his testament of forgiveness and salvation. “Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteousness Bright with thine own holiness.”
The new covenant we possess in the blood of Christ is not, however, the only covenant. The covenant of the letter that kills is glorious though not as much as the new covenant. As the light of the dawning sun overpowers the light of a flashlight, the glory of the new covenant of the Spirit overcomes the glory of the letter.
The law was glorious because it came from the holy God. It expressed the glory of his holy will.. This glory reflected from Moses face. We read in Exodus 34, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.
Paul mentions that time. This testament came with glory. It was carved in stone. This testament brought death because the people could not be holy as God demanded. Still, the glory of the letter faded away. The glory of the law faded away because the glory of Jesus Christ surpassed it. Paul wrote, “For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.”
St. John wrote in his gospel, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” [Jn1:17] Jesus outshines Moses. There is no more Ceremonial Law, glorious as it was. There is no more Civil Law for a theocracy, glorious as it was. The Moral Law with its letters carved in stone is still glorious in its use as a mirror, a curb and a guide. Yet all the glory of our new life, our freedom from sin, guilt, death and hell is in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, the Spirit gives us life.
At the state fair, the Seventh-Day Adventists had a display of Moses and the Tabernacle. That was a glorious day in the history of God’s plan of salvation. Better had they displayed a cross and empty tomb and Jesus. That was a day of surpassing glory in God’s plan of salvation. We do not emphasis the law, glorious as it is, and still use it. The glory of the gospel is more radiant in comparison. Like Paul we are ministers of the new covenant.
With the apostle we exclaim and trust, “How much greater is the glory of that which lasts!” Amen. <SDG>