The letter kills, the Spirit gives life.
... to serve God by the newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter.
You are as much in darkness as she is-no offense.
Scripture References:
2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV): "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."
Romans 7:6 (NIV): "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."
1. Context of 2 Corinthians 3:6
Historical and Literary Context:
Author: The Apostle Paul.
Audience: The church in Corinth, a diverse and often troubled congregation facing various theological and moral issues.
Purpose: Paul defends his apostleship and ministry, contrasts the old and new covenants, and emphasizes the superiority of the new covenant.
Immediate Context:
2 Corinthians 3:1-5: Paul begins by discussing the nature of his ministry and how it is validated not by letters of recommendation but by the transformed lives of the believers, which are like letters written by Christ through the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:7-18: Paul contrasts the old covenant, characterized by the letter (the Law of Moses) and engraved in stone (the Ten Commandments), with the new covenant, characterized by the Spirit. He explains how the old covenant brought condemnation and death, while the new covenant brings righteousness and life.
Analysis:
"Competent as ministers of a new covenant": Paul asserts that his authority and ability come from God, making him a minister of the new covenant.
"Not of the letter but of the Spirit": The "letter" refers to the Law of Moses, which, while holy and just, brought awareness of sin and condemnation because people could not keep it perfectly. The "Spirit" refers to the Holy Spirit, who brings life and transformation.
"For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life": The Law, by itself, exposes sin and its consequences, leading to spiritual death. The Spirit, however, imparts life by enabling believers to live in a way that pleases God, transforming their hearts and minds.
2. Context of Romans 7:6
Historical and Literary Context:
Author: The Apostle Paul.
Audience: The church in Rome, comprising both Jewish and Gentile Christians.
Purpose: Paul explains the gospel, focusing on justification by faith, the role of the Law, and the life in the Spirit.
Immediate Context:
Romans 7:1-5: Paul uses the analogy of marriage to explain how believers have died to the Law through the body of Christ, allowing them to belong to another—Christ—and bear fruit for God.
Romans 7:7-25: Paul discusses the purpose of the Law and its relationship to sin. The Law is good, but it reveals and even stimulates sin in our flesh. This leads to a struggle within believers between the desire to do good (the new self) and the sin that dwells in them (the old self).
Analysis:
"By dying to what once bound us": This refers to the believers' identification with Christ in His death, which sets them free from the Law’s jurisdiction.
"Released from the law": Believers are no longer under the Law as a means of seeking righteousness or as a covenant that binds them.
"Serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code": The "new way of the Spirit" implies living under the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The "old way of the written code" refers to attempting to obey God through human effort by following the Law of Moses, which proved to be insufficient due to human sinfulness.
Thematic and Theological Implications:
Contrast Between Old and New Covenants:
Old Covenant (The Law): Reveals God's standards, exposes sin, and brings awareness of condemnation because of human inability to fulfill its demands perfectly.
New Covenant (The Spirit): Initiated through Jesus Christ, characterized by internal transformation and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. It brings life, righteousness, and a personal relationship with God.
The Role of the Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is central in the new covenant, enabling believers to live in a way that pleases God. The Spirit brings life, freedom from the bondage of sin, and the ability to fulfill God's righteous requirements through His indwelling power.
Life and Death:
The "letter" of the Law brings death because it highlights sin and human failure. The Spirit gives life by transforming believers from within, leading to genuine righteousness and a living relationship with God.
Application:
Understanding these contrasts helps believers appreciate the significance of the new covenant and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. It encourages them to rely not on their own efforts to obey God but on the Spirit’s work in their lives. This reliance leads to a life marked by the fruit of the Spirit and a deeper, more intimate walk with God, characterized by freedom and life rather than condemnation and death.
STAND FAST AND STEADFAST
Let us compare Galatians 5:1 and I Corinthians 15:58: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
“Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
It is obvious that a person must first have liberty before that person can stand fast in that
liberty. Believers have liberty because they are in Christ, and there is no condemnation to them
that are in Christ Jesus: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1 and 2).
Christ said, in John 8:36; “Whom the Son sets free shall be free indeed”. Then we read in
Romans 6:18 and Romans 7:6, “Being made free from sin ye became the servants of
righteousness.” “But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held:
that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” Liberty in Christ
Jesus, by the grace of God.
So we learn that Christians are delivered from the law of sin and death, from sin and from
the law given at Sinai; by the work of Christ - (Romans 8:2 and 3).
The Gentiles, throughout Galatia, as sinners, had not been under the law. But many of
them, who were saved by Paul’s grace gospel, were bewitched by zealous religious Jews
described in Acts 15:9 and 5, who taught the Gentile Christians . . . “Except ye be circumcised
after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.”
Paul called these bewitched Gentile Christians, “foolish Galatians”, (Galatians 3:1 to 4).
Even Peter the minister of the circumcision, said . . . “why tempt ye God, to put a yoke (the law)
upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10).
Note Paul’s words to those Gentile Christians who went back from Calvary to Sinai:
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen
from grace.” (Galatians 5:4).
Paul wrote in Romans 5:2 of this grace wherein we stand. He pled with the Galatians not
to make the vain attempt to supplement the grace of God or make their salvation more secure by
getting under the law.
Note Paul’s words in Galatians 2:21: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” In Romans 6:14 Paul wrote: “Ye are not
under the law but under grace.”
Christ had suffered intense agony to deliver all who were under the law (Galatians 3:13)
and to give liberty to believing Jews and Gentiles.
So Paul urged the Christians not to be entangled with the yoke of bondage but to stand
fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath set them free.
Now compare Romans 4:5 with I Corinthians 15:58: “But to him that worketh not, but
believeth, on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” “Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Now read I Corinthians 3:11 to
15 and learn that it is possible to be saved so as by fire without works that will be rewarded. The
Visit the J. C. O’Hair Online Library at
J. C. O'Hair Online Library
thief on the cross was saved, but he had no good works for reward. But if we build on Christ the
foundation our works will abide; will be wellpleasing to God and will be richly rewarded.
J.
