2 Coríntios 3

2 Coríntios 3:5-6

MacDonald explains: These people (the Jews in John 6) had been thinking in terms of Christ’s literal flesh, but here He told them that eternal life was not gained by eating flesh but by the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Flesh cannot give life; only the Spirit can do this. They had taken His words literally and had not realized that they were to be understood spiritually. And so here the Lord Jesus explained that the words that He spoke were spirit and they were life; when His sayings about eating His flesh and drinking His blood were understood in a spiritual way, as meaning belief in Him, then those who accepted the message would receive eternal life. Andrew Murray has some interesting comments on the Holy Spirit as related to this section (2Co 3) - see The New Covenant: A Ministration of the Spirit and The Ministry of the New Covenant Paul contrasts the letter and the Spirit in Romans 2 explaining the need for "spiritual circumcision" (See Excursus on Circumcision)... For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly (externally, keeping kosher, going to the "temple", etc = these are all external and gain no "merit" with God, cp Ro 3:28+), nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh (Because he is not describing physical circumcision of the flesh but spiritual circumcision of the heart = what God's Spirit does when we are born again). But he is a Jew (not by physical lineage, but by spiritual new birth) who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter (the Law - the Law was not given to save men but to show men they needed salvation by grace through faith, e.g., Ro 3:19+, Ro 3:20+, Gal 3:22-24+); and his praise is not from men, but from God. (Ro 2:28, 29+). In Romans 7 Paul again contrasts the letter (law) and the Spirit... But now (now that we have been born again by grace through into the New Covenant) we have been released (aorist tense = past completed action. The idea is that the Law has been rendered inoperative in our life - we are now under grace, not under the burden of law - Ro 6:14+) from (set free from the dictatorship of and bondage of) the Law, having died (aorist tense = past tense, completed act = Death speaks of separation which paradoxically took place when were born again) to that by which we were bound (the Law), so that we serve (present tense = our general demeanor or lifestyle, a service motivated by love, empowered by the Spirit) in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter (~ the Law). (Ro 7:6+). Comment: In newness means New Covenant believers are now in a "spiritual atmosphere" or environment that has never existed. Without being too mystical, believers are to "breathe in" this newness of the Spirit. We now need to learn to walk in the "atmosphere" of this newness. Then we can serve in this same newness. Remember you now exist in the sphere of newness of the Holy Spirit so don't fall into the trap of volitionally (you making a choice, a bad one at that, of) placing yourself back up under the law in any form (Read Ro 7:5+ - Beware, because legalism arouses the flesh even in believers! Beware of making a list of "do's" and "don'ts", especially the latter! Romans 7:5 says you will only succeed in arousing the old flesh and you will experience defeat and frustration in your Christian life! Learn to walk by the Spirit and you then you will not fulfill the desires of your dirty, rotten flesh! Gal 5:16+) For (gar) - Introduces Paul's explanation for the superiority of the Spirit over the "letter". As an aside, whenever you see a "for", take a moment to carefully observe the text and try to determine what the author is explaining (for more discussion see inductive Bible study and term of conclusion) The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life - The letter, the Law, (present tense - continually) kills. It kills because it gives a standard (law) which fallen man cannot keep, and the result is sin. As Ro 6:23+ says "the wages of sin is death." In Romans 7:11+ Paul writes that "sin (hamartia), taking an opportunity (aphorme - base of operations) through the commandment (OLD COVENANT - THE LETTER - THE LAW), deceived (exapatao) me and through it killed me." Note what the passages teach about the letter, the old covenant, the law, the ten commandments... Deuteronomy 27:26+ ‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ (THEY AGREED TO BE OBEDIENT - EVEN THOUGH GOD CALLS FOR TOTAL OBEDIENCE! cf "we will do" in Ex 24:3,7+) Romans 3:20+ because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified (declared righteous) in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PERFECTLY KEEP THE LAW AND THUS NO ONE CAN BE "DECLARED RIGHTEOUS" BY TRYING TO KEEP THE LAW! NOTE PURPOSE OF LAW HERE = MAKE SIN KNOWN - JUST AS IN Ro 7:7. THE LAW IS LIKE A STRAIGHTEDGE AND WHEN WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO THE STRAIGHTEDGE WE SEE HOW CROOKED OUR LIVES REALLY ARE!) Romans 7:7-11+ What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law (SAME EFFECT AS DESCRIBED IN Ro 3:20 ABOVE); for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity (BASE OF OPERATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION - SIN SETS UP A "BASE CAMP" AND LAUNCHES OUT IN ITS EVIL WORK IN OUR HEART) through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind (THE FORBIDDEN "FRUIT" BECOMES MORE ATTRACTIVE BECAUSE IT GIVES US THE CHANCE TO ASSERT OUR SELF-WILL!); for apart from the Law sin is dead (NOT ACTUALLY DEAD, BUT DORMANT, AND STIRRED TO ACTIVITY BY THE LAW - cf Ro 7:5+ - AND THIS "ACTIVATED" SIN OVERWHELMS THE SINNER!). 9 I was once alive apart from the Law (BECAUSE HE HAD AN EXTERNAL CONCEPTION OF IT DECEPTIVELY THINKING HE COULD KEEP IT AND GAIN RIGHTEOUSNESS); but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died (THAT IS PAUL REALIZED HIS EXTERNAL SPIRITUALITY WAS DEAD AND WORTHLESS BEFORE GOD!); 10 and this commandment, which was to result in life (IT WOULD HAVE GIVEN SPIRITUAL LIFE IF IT COULD HAVE BEEN KEPT PERFECTLY BUT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!), proved to result in death for me; 11 for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me (LAW DECEIVED HIM INTO BELIEVING HE COULD GAIN SPIRITUAL LIFE AND APPROVAL BEFORE GOD BY KEEPING THE LAW - PAUL TRIED AND FAILED!) . Galatians 3:10-11+ (QUOTING Dt 27:26) For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.” 11 Now that no one is justified (DECLARED RIGHTEOUS) by the Law before God is evident; for (EXPLAINS WHY IT IS EVIDENT), “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” (IN OTHER WORDS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS ATTAINED BY FAITH, NOT BY WORKS OF THE LAW.)