SUMMARY
Instead of succumbing to their demand for letters of recommendation or conceding that he writes heavy-handed letters to them, PaulThe Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was the author of several New Testament letters and the founder of many Christian communities. More maintains that the Corinthians are his “letter,” written on his heart. As a letter of the MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified... More, they have been written by the Spirit on fleshy hearts—not with ink, on tablets of stone. In sum, they are his proof that he is a servant of the new covenantBecause Israel had broken the old covenant, the prophet Jeremiah declared that God would establish a new covenant, one that would be written on the heart. The New Testament is often referred to as the New Covenant because Jesus came to fulfill the law and... More, which is not of the letter, but of the Spirit.
ANALYSIS
Perhaps influenced by Paul’s opponents, the Corinthians wanted Paul to provide letters of recommendation that compared him against other apostles (2 Corinthians 3:1; cf. 2 Corinthians 10:12). Moreover, they felt that the letters he wrote to them were too heavy-handed (2 Corinthians 2:3-4; cf. 2 Corinthians 10:9-10). In response, Paul reminds them that because he was the first apostleDerived from a Greek word meaning "one who is sent," an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person's idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus... More to come to them with the gospel, their very existence as a congregation is his “letter” (2 Corinthians 3:2; cf. 2 Corinthians 10:14). But not in the sense that they are just another trophy demonstrating his competence as an apostle. Rather, his relationship to them is a profoundly intimate one: they are written on his heart. Later, he will say that he is a parent to them (2 Corinthians 12:14). At the same time, this relationship is open to everyone—available to be “known and read by all” (2 Corinthians 3:2).
What grounds this unique kind of relationship? Like Paul, the Corinthians also “manifest” the Messiah in their lives. Indeed, Paul calls them a “letter of the Messiah” (2 Corinthians (3:3). Although Paul played a role in establishing them as a congregation, it was ultimately the HolyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More Spirit who was responsible for their adoption as children of God (Galatians 4:4-6). Thus, they manifest the Messiah not because of an apostle who relies on the “ink” of letters of recommendation but rather because of the “Spirit of the living God,” who, in turn, writes not “on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3). This imagery is rich with biblical allusions—from the “finger of God” writing the tablets of the covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God's people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. More (Exodus 31:18) to the law written on people’s hearts (JeremiahProphet who condemned Judah's infidelity to God, warned of Babylonian conquest, and promised a new covenant. More 31:33) and the contrast of a “heart of flesh” and a “heart of stone” (EzekielEzekiel was a priest and prophet who was raised in Jerusalem and exiled to Babylon in 597 BCE. More 36:26; Ezekiel 11:19).
In sum, the proof of Paul’s competence as an apostle lies not in his own capacities, which can be measured against others, but solely in the confidence he has in God through the Messiah. Just as Moses’ competence as a prophet was grounded in God’s call (Exodus 4:10-12), so Paul’s competence as an apostle is also rooted in God’s call that he be a servant of the “new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Originally linked with Jeremiah’s expectation of a new age of renewal (Jeremiah 31:31-32), the phrase “new covenant” is also used in Paul’s instructions for the Lord’s Supper, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25; cf. LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. More 22:20).
As Paul reiterates throughout 2 Corinthians, apostolic ministry is rooted in the lavish graceGrace is the unmerited gift of God's love and acceptance. In Martin Luther's favorite expression from the Apostle Paul, we are saved by grace through faith, which means that God showers grace upon us even though we do not deserve it. More and mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God's mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. More poured out in the “sufferings” and “consolations” of the Messiah (2 Corinthians 1:5) and not in any kind of human standard of comparison and measurement. To clinch his argument, he plays on the contrast between the “letter” that “kills” and “Spirit” that “gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6)—a contrast he will develop more fully in the next section, which exegetes a passage dealing with the aftermath of the golden calf incident (Exodus 34:29-35).
RELATED PASSAGES
Exodus 4:10-12 – Moses’ Competence
Ezekiel 36:24-28 – I Will Give You a Heart of Flesh
Jeremiah 31:31-34 – A New Covenant
Luke 22:13-21; 1 Corinthians 11:23-27 – The Cup of the New Covenant