It is remarkable how much we learn about the
New Covenant from the initial promise in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Remarkable, we say, because Jeremiah himself
could have no idea of what a relationship with God would be like without the Mosaic
system. And yet this is what was
promised. God’s law will be in the
hearts of His people. And they will have
a relationship with God, one that is deep within the heart and that does not
come from one’s neighbor or brother.
In that initial promise there is no mention of
the Holy Spirit. We have seen from other
passages that the NC is established by the outpouring
of the Spirit. Paul, in 2 Cor. 3,
gives us insight into the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the New
Covenant as well as the contrast between the Old and the New.
·
2 Cor. 3:1-18: The Ministry of the New Covenant.
o 3:1-3:
The emphasis in this paragraph is on the effect of the NC. As Jeremiah said, so Paul says here: the NC reaches
deep into the inside of those who share in that covenant. They are epistles
of the heart, an epistle of Christ. When Paul said it was ministered by us he does not mean that he brought about this change
in them. Jeremiah said the relationship
of God would not be the result of what other people could do. Instead Paul says they were epistles written by the Spirit of the living God. What Paul is saying is consistent with Jesus’
words to Nicodemus in John 3 concerning the necessity of the new birth. It is not man’s work but the work of the
Spirit.
o 3:4-6:
The reason for this need for the Spirit is simply stated but generally
offensive to those who cling to the value of the Old Covenant. Paul’s new
covenant ministry is not a continuation of the Old Covenant, the letter, which kills. This may be hard for some to accept because
it is the most offensive thing about the cross of Jesus. Seemingly good people, trying their hardest
to keep the Ten Commandments, are the people furthest from the door of faith in
Christ. Good works, even those that fit
the Law of Moses which is in the Bible itself, will not and in fact cannot bring
one to a relationship with God. The letter
kills! This is why people must strive or
press to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 16:15-16; Heb. 4:11); it is a mighty
battle to resist the attempt to justify ourselves.
(Lest we bite off too much let us stop here to
meditate on what we have seen and we will continue in the next post.)
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