Nate and Ryker in Bulgaria. They’ve got a lot of street cred 🙂

Paul’s Credentials!  

2 Corinthians 3 

Over the years, this has been a favorite chapter of mine. Very rich. It speaks of the glory of the New Covenant and the amazing work of the Spirit in the lives of those who are saved. The false teachers who infiltrated Corinth were accusing Paul of being an Illegitimate minister. They would say that he didn’t have the right credentials, documentation, or letters of commendation. Paul responded with the following:  

“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts,” verses 2,3.  

Paul is writing to defend the legitimacy of his ministry and in doing so, he pens a beautiful description of the work of God in salvation and the amazing heart transformation that has come to the Corinthians (and us) as a by-product of Paul’s ministry.  

Grace and faith trumps guilt and fear! 

False teachers always use external forces to promote compliance and control. They use guilt, obligation, fear and compliance to rule over others.  They endorse outward conformity to the law. Paul, on the other hand, preaches grace and faith in Christ and the outcome is an internal transformation of the heart. More on this next time.

Praise You Lord for such a great salvation that you freely give to us who love you! Your work is inside of us. Your work changes our hearts and causes us to want to serve you, not have to serve you. May we be still and allow You to change us from the inside. Amen.