2 Corinthians 3:1 - Meaning and Application

In these verses, the apostle begins by defending himself from the charge that he is praising himself. He says this with good reason, because some people in Corinth were trying to damage his reputation. Still, he was not looking for empty praise. He tells them that he did not need or want letters of recommendation from them, as some other teachers did, meaning the false apostles or teachers (2 Corinthians 3:1). His work among them had already shown, without question, that his ministry was real and honorable, even if he himself seemed weak or unimportant to some.

The Corinthians themselves were his true letter of recommendation. They showed that God was truly with him and that he had been sent by God, as he says, “You are our letter” (2 Corinthians 3:2). This was the witness he valued most, and they were written on his heart. He could point to them openly, because this testimony was known and could be read by all. Faithful ministers take the greatest delight in seeing their work bear fruit in the lives and hearts of the people they serve.

Paul is careful not to take too much credit for himself. He gives all the praise to God. He says that the Corinthians were the letter of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:3). Paul and the others were only tools in Christ’s hands, while Christ was the one who did the real work in them. The law of Christ was written in their hearts, and the love of Christ had been poured into them.

This letter was not written with ink. It was written by the Spirit of the living God. It was not written on stone tablets, like the law given to Moses, but on the human heart. And even that heart was not a hard heart of stone, but a heart of flesh, a soft and changed heart made new by God’s grace, as in the promise, “I will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). Paul had good hope about the Corinthians, that their hearts were like the ark of the covenant, carrying the law and the gospel written there by the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:4).

Paul then rejects any thought that he and his fellow workers deserved praise for this. He says, “We are not sufficient of ourselves” (2 Corinthians 3:5). They could never have made such deep marks on the hearts of the Corinthians, or even on their own hearts. Human weakness is so great that we cannot even think a good thought on our own, much less produce good thoughts or feelings in others. All our ability comes from God. So all the praise for any good that is done belongs to him, and we must keep asking him for grace and strength to do more. This is true of ministers and of all Christians. The best people are only what God’s grace makes them. Our own strength is not enough, but God gives what we need, and his grace is enough to fit us for every good word and work.