This thread may be useful to identify Paul's motives and methods as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Paul was a minister of the new covenant. As a Pharisee before he coverted he was a minister of the old covenant, the Torah, the law of Moses. After he received Christ into his heart he became a minister of the new covenant:
" ... our sufficiency is from God, Who has also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Cor. 3:6)
Paul contrasted his ministry of the new covenant with the law of Moses. He said the old covenant ministry was
"the ministry of death" -
"Moreover if the ministry of death, engraved in stone letters, ..." (v.7a)
In his contrasting the Torah of Moses was fading in glory but the new covenant ministry subsisted in glory.
" ... if the ministry of death, engraved in stone in letters, came about in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to gaze at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, a glory which was being done away with, How shall the ministry of the Spirit not be more in glory ? " (v.7,8)
Paul contrasts the old ccovenant as
"the ministry of death" with the new covenant
"ministry of the Spirit" . (v.7,8)
Paul also calls the old covenant ministry
"the ministry of condemnation" in that it mainly condemns the sinner -
" For if there is glory with the ministry of condemnation ..."(v.9a)
Paul juxtaposes this old covenant ministry of condemnation with the new covenant
"ministry of righteousness".
"For if there is glory with the ministry of condemnation, much more the ministry of righteousness abounds in glory." (v.9)
Moses contrasts the reading and hearing of Moses with the new covenant ministry. The hearts of the hearers is hardened and veiled in the first case. In the second case if their heart turns to the Lord Jesus Who is the Spirit, they will be unveiled and transformed.
" Indeed unto this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart;
But whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.
But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit." (2 Cor. 3:15-18)
Paul was thus not a minister of the Torah as a Christian apostle. He was a minister of the new covenant, the ministry of righteousness, the ministry of unfading glory, the ministry of the Spirit. And what he ministered was a living Person - Christ the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Spirit.
"For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord ..." (4:4a)
All Paul's labors were to bring men and women to a Person - the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul labored in the new covenant to impart the Holy Spirit into people. He sought that the believers would gaze spiritually at the glory in the face of Jesus Christ. And in turning their hearts to Christ they would gain both freedom -
"where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom" , and they would be transformed in sanctification. That is to travel from one degree of expressing Christ to another degree to another degree on and on, from glory to glory.
This as all by the Lord Spirit, the resurrected Jesus Christ who was made available as
"life giving Spirit" -
" ... the last Adam became a life giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45)
" For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Cor. 3:6b)
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
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