Living in the Spirit of Christ is More Important than Written Words

2 Corinthians 3

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

• What is written on the heart is worth more than what is written on paper.
• Today’s world condemns having the Spirit of Christ written on the heart.
• Christian sufficiency is not rooted in self-esteem but in the Spirit of Christ.
• Written word is the ministry of death which passes away.
• The ministry of Christ exceeds the glory of the ministry of the written law.
• We boldly speak in the name of Jesus Christ.
• The Jewish people are still blinded to the truth of Jesus Christ.
• Where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty.

What is written on the heart is worth more than what is written on paper. “Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?” 2 Corinthians 3:1 Bragging about ourselves does nothing to reveal the seeds we plant in the souls of others. Likewise, having letters sent to other people about us does nothing to reveal the work that is being done in the heart. Even to receive letters which attest to the good work of others does nothing to reveal the person’s soul. “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;” 2 Corinthians 3:2 More important than what is written on a piece of paper is what is written in the heart. Behaviors and attitudes which flow from us are what is read by people interacted with from day to day.  “…clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” 2 Corinthians 3:3 What is written on the heart by the Spirit of Jesus Christ is more important than anything that could be written on a piece of paper or computer screen.

Today’s world condemns having the Spirit of Christ written on the heart. Today, esteem and respect are being used to replace the need for Jesus Christ, and that esteem and respect is reserved for those who live by the mark of the beast. Calling them sinners in need of Jesus is considered hateful, unloving, unsupportive, etc. Christians are condemned for having the Spirit of Christ written on our heart The thing that has power over physiology forms what a person thinks, does, and feels concerning others. Those who believe in God, acknowledge the need for the remission of sin through Jesus, and embraces the Holy Spirit are not esteemed and respected. Christians devote their body as the home of the Holy Spirit, but the thing that has power over physiology are making the body the place of the mark of the beast. “…it opposes and exalts itself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that it sits as God in the temple of God, showing itself that it is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4

Christian sufficiency is not rooted in self-esteem but in the Spirit of Christ. “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,” 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 Our trust is in God through Jesus Christ, not through self-esteem, nor self-respect, nor self-confidence. What we are in our sense of respect and esteem comes from God, not self nor other people.  “…who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6 It doesn’t matter what is written about us on paper and computers drives, nor what others say about us. It’s certain that written information about us does not reflect the Spirit of Christ living in us. Those written documents are found in employee evaluations, school records, previous court documents etc. Life in Jesus Christ does not come through what is written but comes when He lives in our heart. By the remission of sin, we are sufficient to be ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter what is written or said about us.

Written word is the ministry of death which passes away. “But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,” 2 Corinthians 3:7 Exodus 34:35 refers to the shining of the face of Moses. To have the Ten Commandments written in stone was a glorious event, and it was so glorious that even the face of Moses shined who gave those commandments on behalf of God. As glorious as what the written commandments were, they passed away to be exceeded by the glory of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come in the power of the written word, but He came in the power of the Spirit of God. “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 Having the Spirit of Christ written on the heart fulfills the written law. “…how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” 2 Corinthians 3:8 The ministry of the Spirit of Christ is much more glorious than the written word.

The ministry of Christ exceeds the glory of the ministry of the written law. “For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:9 If you want to learn how quickly the written word kills the spirit, open up the book of Leviticus and imagine trying to keep the letter of the law written there. That is why Paul refers to it as the “ministry of condemnation.” Nowadays, there is obviously a ministry of condemnation against Christianity. In the days that Leviticus was written, it was glorious to have God speak to them directly in that form, and they were different from the nations around them. Other nations were living in a culture whose lifestyles were built on breaking the very basic Ten Commandments given to the Jewish nations. That is why the Israelites were told not to mix their culture with other nation’s culture.

However glorious the Jewish laws were, the ministry of righteousness is much more glorious, which comes through Jesus Christ. “For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.” 2 Corinthians 3:10-11 The glory of Jesus Christ far exceeds the glory of Leviticus, and the law is rightly referred to as the “ministry of condemnation.” While the laws of the Old Testament have passed away, the word of God through Jesus Christ remains forever.

We boldly speak in the name of Jesus Christ. “Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— ” 2 Corinthians 3:12 Whatever is written about us or said about us, it is written on our heart to boldly speak about the ministry of Jesus Christ. Today, whatever we followers of Christ say or do will be scrutinized, belittled, blasphemed, and scoffed at by those who live by the mark of the beast. Even then, our hope is in the promises of God, through Jesus Christ, and we have those promises written on the heart through the Holy Spirit.

“…unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.” 2 Corinthians 3:13 Our boldness to speak in the Spirit of Christ is not like Moses who had to hide his face from the Israelites, whose glory would pass and be replaced by Christ. Before the coming of Jesus, God had to hide His face from the majority of people because the veil had not yet been torn in two. Jesus tore that veil in two when He died on the Cross for the remission of the sin. Today, anyone can come into the presence of God through Jesus Christ, His face is no longer hidden.

The Jewish people are still blinded to the truth of Jesus Christ. “But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 3:14 The minds of the Israelites, who lived under the Old Testament law, were blinded to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Even today, the Jewish people are living as if the veil has not been lifted as they read the Old Testament. They do not see that the veil is taken away in Christ and through Him the laws are written on the heart by the Holy Spirit.

“But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.” 2 Corinthians 3:15 When the laws of the Old Testament are read, they are not able to see the reference to their Messiah. “Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” 2 Corinthians 3:16 When we come to Jesus Christ, we can see clearly the message the Holy Spirit has for us through the Old Testament. The message is that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied about throughout the Old Testament, as seen in Isaiah 53.

Where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty.  “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 Every follower of Jesus Christ rejoices that we are set free from the obligations of the law as written in Leviticus. God is Spirit and where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty. Likewise, we are grateful that we are not bound by what is written or said about us, our freedom is in the Holy Spirit. Those who live and govern by the mark of the beast will ostracize us from their society and do everything else to imprison the Gospel of Christ, but we are free in the Spirit. We are not bound by sin which Satan uses to imprison people to the mark of the beast. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 The veil is torn in two so that we can see the Spirit of God living in us through Jesus Christ. Day by day, we are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ in the walk of Holiness.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1