2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (WEL) Such confidence we have through Christ toward God, 5 Not that we are self-qualified, but our qualification is from God, 6 Who has also made us qualified to be servants of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
[Compare Exodus 34:29, John 5:47, and Deuteronomy 27:26].
V4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God,
Christianity brings confidence and trust in God with His assisting grace. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5), yet with Him, we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). We are allowed to come before the very throne of God to worship and pray (Hebrews 4:16).
Knowing that the Corinthian believers are faithful is a faithful testimony of God’s work in a believer.
V5 Not that we are self-qualified, but our qualification is from God,
It is not in ourselves, but in the one and only God who lives in us (1 Corinthians 3:16). God gives us the spiritual gifts, the assisting grace (2 Timothy 1:7 and 2 Corinthians 1:12), hope (Romans 15:13), and promises (2 Peter 1:4).
Adam Clarke:
“We do not arrogate to ourselves any power to enlighten the mind or change the heart; we are only instruments in the hand of God. Nor was it possible for us apostles to think, to invent, such a scheme of salvation as is the Gospel; and if we even had been equal to the invention, how could we have fulfilled such promises as this scheme of salvation abounds with? God alone could fulfill these promises, and he fulfills only those which he makes himself.”
V6 Who has also qualified us to be servants of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
[Compare Exodus 34:29, John 5:47, and Deuteronomy 27:26].
We do not qualify ourselves; it is God who qualifies the unqualified. Moses thought he could deliver Israel, but he was rejected by Israel, a murderer who fled to Median and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. God qualifies Moses through all these experiences. So it is with Paul, King David, the prophets, and us. Praise God for His education (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 and Psalm 25:9) and refining (1 Peter 1:7).
We learn:
- God is the qualifier.
- We can rejoice in God’s work in us.
Questions:
- Are you trusting in God’s grace?
- Are you using the gifts that God has given you and qualified you to use?