Christ’ New Covenant is built on better promises established with better blood and better things on every level. It is the ministry of this New Covenant that Paul was called to participate in teaching.
2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 ¶ 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. 7 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, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
Paul’s understanding of being a minister was not one of being a minister of something Old and faded but rather something New and authoritative. God made the apostles ministers of a New Covenant not the Old one.
Notice how the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul very descriptively uses the term, “the ministry of death written and engraved on stones.” This makes it abundantly clear what Law is referred to here in reference to the ministry of death. The only law written and engraved on stones was the Ten Commandments. That ministry while it was in force was glorious! The quest to adhere to it was noble at best but impossible. But it says clearly that if that Old ministry of death had glory the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. Righteousness is the issue in both Covenants but only one has the ability to truly do something about the real problem.
To dwell on the Old Covenant is not only offensive to Christ who shed His own blood to establish this New Covenant, it is also offensive to the Holy Spirit because the agent for enforcing this New Covenant of Christ is the Spirit Himself, not tablets!
That is what is meant when it says I will write my laws upon their hearts in Jeremiah! This ministry on the heart is a direct reference to the ministry of the Spirit in the life of a true believer.
Before the New Covenant men would experience the Holy Spirit coming upon them and they would do great exploits. But now that this New Covenant has come men expereince the Holy Spirit within them and should that not be enough to lead us into great things for God's glory?
Under the Old Covenant men would experience the departure of the Holy Spirit on their lives, under the New Covenant we can grieve Him but He doesn't run away from us. We are Christ' eternal inheritance brought into an eternal covenant, established by His blood!
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
