The ministry of death came with glory

[tonychanyt]

2 Corinthians 3:

5b Our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Paul set up a contrast:

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

The ministry of death is Moses' ministry of the OT law. It condemns and kills. The ministry of life is Jesus' ministry of the Spirit. It gives life. The Paraclete connects to our spirits to empower us to walk in the Spirit as we grow in the spirit.

The ministry of death came with glory. Gloriously, God announced the Ten Commandments (Ex 19). The ministry of life is even more glorious. It surpasses the old covenant as Jesus is greater than Moses.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The Spirit empowers us to see and live in the glory of the Lord.

 

[sparow]

2 Corinthians 3:


Paul set up a contrast:


The ministry of death is Moses' ministry of the OT law. It condemns and kills. The ministry of life is Jesus' ministry of the Spirit. It gives life. The Paraclete connects to our spirits to empower us to walk in the Spirit as we grow in the spirit.

The ministry of death came with glory. Gloriously, God announced the Ten Commandments (Ex 19). The ministry of life is even more glorious. It surpasses the old covenant as Jesus is greater than Moses.


The Spirit empowers us to see and live in the glory of the Lord.

The contrast that I see is the contrast between Paul and Jesus, which is the contrast between Cain and Able.

Out of context 2 Corinthians 3:5 is a blatant lie; I am not sure Paul's context changes the matter.

Paul is in debate with the Corinthians and arguments in debate have contexts of their own.

Quote, 7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters in stone, unquote. To my mind this is blasphemy, calling God's covenant a ministry of death. It could have been true that the Corinthians had a ministry of death, or that the Pharisees had a ministry of death, but you and Paul are implying that God's covenant is a ministry of death, implying fault or intention on God's part.

God said, I set before you life and death, choose life or choose death, Deut 30:15-20. If we are to call that written on stone a ministry, then it is a ministry of life as much as it is a ministry of death. The renewed covenant is not different in this way, still a choice between life and death