2 Corinthians 3:3

Contextual Overview

¹Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? ¹ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? ¹ Does is seem like we are tooting our own horns so that y'all will believe we are who we say we are? Do we really need some letter of introduction or endorsement concerning the things we've done? ¹ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? ¹Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? ¹ Do we seem to be again attempting to put ourselves in the right? or have we need, as some have, of letters of approval to you or from you? ¹ Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or do we need, as some, commendatory letters to you, or [commendatory] from you? ¹ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you? ¹ Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you? ¹ Do we again begin to recommend ourselves? Unless we need, as some do, recommendatory letters to you, or recommendatory letters from you?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the epistle: Exodus 31:18, Revelation 2:1, Revelation 2:8, Revelation 2:12, Revelation 2:18, Revelation 3:1, Revelation 3:7, Revelation 3:14, Revelation 3:22

ministered: 1 Corinthians 8:5-10

the living: 2 Corinthians 6:16, Joshua 3:10, 1 Samuel 17:26, Psalms 42:2, Psalms 84:2, Jeremiah 10:10, Daniel 6:26, Matthew 16:16, 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Hebrews 9:14

not: Exodus 24:12, Exodus 34:1

but: Psalms 40:8, Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Hebrews 8:10, Hebrews 10:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 32:16 - General Deuteronomy 6:6 - shall be Deuteronomy 9:10 - written with Deuteronomy 27:3 - thou shalt Proverbs 3:3 - write Proverbs 6:21 - General Proverbs 7:3 - General Isaiah 51:7 - in whose Jeremiah 17:1 - graven Ezekiel 36:26 - the stony Zechariah 3:9 - I will engrave 2 Corinthians 3:7 - written 2 Corinthians 6:6 - by the 1 Timothy 3:15 - the living

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave to me from the tree, and I ate."

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

Genesis 3:12
And Adam said: The woman whom thou gauest [to be] with me, she gaue me of the tree, and I dyd eate.

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me gave me fruit from that tree. So I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."

Genesis 3:12
And Adam seide, The womman which thou yauest felowe to me, yaf me of the tre, and Y eet.

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, The woman whom thou gauest to be with mee, shee gaue me of the tree, and I did eate.

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared,.... But lest it should be thought that the apostle attributed too much to himself, by saying that the Corinthians were our epistle; here he says, they were "manifestly declared"

to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us; so that the apostles and ministers of the word were only amanuenses, Christ was the author and dictator; yea, he himself is the very matter, sum, substance, and subject of the epistle; he is formed in the hearts of his people in conversion, his image is stamped, his grace is implanted, his word, his Gospel dwells richly, his laws and ordinances are written here; he also is the exemplar, believers are but copies of him, in grace and duty, in sufferings, in the likeness of his death and resurrection: and they are "manifestly declared" to be so, by the impresses of Christ's grace upon them; by the fairness of the copy; by the style and language of the epistle; by their likeness to Christ; by their having not the form only, but the power of godliness; and by their lives and conversations: now in writing these epistles, the ministers of the Gospel are only instruments, "ministered by us". They are made use of to show the sinner the black characters which are written upon him, and that what is written in him, and to be read by him, by the light of nature is not sufficient for salvation; they are employed as instruments in drawing the rough draught of grace in conversion, and in writing the copy over again, fairer and fairer; being the happy means blessed by God, for the building up of souls in faith and holiness, in spiritual knowledge and comfort. These epistles are

not written with ink; of nature's power, or of rhetorical eloquence and moral persuasion;

but with the Spirit of the living God: every grace that is implanted in the soul is wrought there by the Spirit of God; or he it is that draws every line, and writes every word and letter; he begins, he carries on and finishes the work of grace on the soul; and that as "the Spirit of the living God": hence saints become the living epistles of Christ; and every letter and stroke of his making, is a living disposition of the soul in likeness to him; and such are written among the living in Jerusalem, and shall live and abide for ever as the epistles of Christ: again, the subjects of these epistles, or that on which they are written, are

not tables of stone; such as the law was written upon, on Mount Sinai: of these tables there were the first and second; the first were the work of God himself, the latter were hewed by Moses, at the command of God, Exodus 32:16 the former being broken when he came down from the mount, which by the Jewish writers are said to be miraculously made, and not by the means and artifice of men l; yea, that they were made before the creation of the world m, and which, they commonly say, were made of sapphire; Exodus 32:16- : these, as the latter, were two stones, which, Jarchi says n, were of an equal size; and were, as Abarbinel says o, in the form of small tables, such as children are taught to write upon, and therefore are so called: some pretend to give the dimensions of them, and say p, that they were six hands long, and as many broad, and three thick; nay, even the weight of them, which is said q to be the weight of forty "seahs", and look upon it as a miracle that Moses should be able to carry them; on these stones were written the ten commands; and the common opinion of the Jewish writers is, that five were written on one table, and five on the other; this is the opinion of Josephus r, Philo s, and the Talmudic writers t; and the tables are said to be written on both sides, Exodus 32:15. Some think that the engraving of the letters perforated and went through the tables, so that, in a miraculous manner, the letters were legible on both sides; others think, only the right and left hand of the tables are meant, on which the laws were written, five on a side, and which folded up like the tables or pages of a book; though others are of opinion, that they were written upon, both behind and before, and that the law was written twice, both upon the fore part and back part of the tables, yea, others say four times; and some think the phrase only intends the literal and mystical, the external and internal sense of the law: however, certain it is, as the apostle here suggests, that the law was written on tables of stone, which may denote the firmness and stability of the law; not as in the hands of Moses, from whence the tables fell and were broken, but as in the hands of Christ, by whom they are fulfilled; or else the hardness of man's heart, his stupidity, ignorance of, and not subject to the law of God:

but fleshly tables of the heart: alluding to Ezekiel 36:26 and designs not carnal hearts, but such as are made soft and tender by the Spirit of God. The table of the heart is a phrase to be met with in the books of the Old Testament; see Proverbs 3:3 and very frequently in the writings of the Jews u.

l R. Levi ben Gersom in Pentateuch, fol. 113. 2. m Zohar in Exod. fol. 35. 1. n Perush in Exod. xxxi. 18. o In Pentateuch, fol. 209. 2. & 211. 3. p T. Hieres Shekalim, fol. 49. 4. Shemot Rabba, c. 47. fol. 143. 2. Bartenora in Misn. Pirke Abot, c. 5. sect. 6. q Targum Jon. in Exod. xxxi. 18. & in Deut. xxxiv. 12. r Antiqu. l. 3. c. 5. sect. 8. s De Decalogo, p. 761, 768. t T. Hieros. Shekalim, fol. 49. 4. Shemot Rabba, sect. 47. fol. 143. 2. Zohar in Exod. fol. 35. 1. u Vid. Targum Jon. in Dent. vi. 5, & in Cant. iv. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared - You are made manifest as the epistle of Christ; or you, being made manifest, are the epistle, etc. They had been made manifest to be such by their conversion. The sense is, it is plain, or evident, that ye are the epistle of Christ.

To be the epistle of Christ - That which Christ has sent to be our testimonial. He has given this letter of recommendation. He has converted you by our ministry, and that is the best evidence which we can have that we have been sent by him, and that our labor is accepted by him. Your conversion is his work, and it is his public attestation to our fidelity in his cause.

Ministered by us - The idea here is, that Christ had employed their ministry in accomplishing this. They were Christ’s letter, but it had been prepared by the instrumentality of the apostles. It had not been prepared by him independently of their labors, but in connection with, and as the result of those labors. Christ, in writing this epistle, so to speak, has used our aid; or employed us as amanuenses (copyists).

Written not with ink - Paul continues and varies the image in regard to this “epistle,” so that he may make the testimony borne to his fidelity and success more striking and emphatic. He says, therefore, that that it was not written as letters of introduction are, with ink - by traces drawn on a lifeless substance, and in lines that easily fade, or that may become easily illegible, or that can be read only by a few, or that may be soon destroyed.

But with the Spirit of the living God - In strong contrast thus with letters written with ink. By the Spirit of God moving on the heart, and producing that variety of graces which constitute so striking and so beautiful an evidence of your conversion. If written by the Spirit of the living God, it was far more valuable, and precious, and permanent than any record which could be made by ink. Every trace of the Spirit’s influences on the heart was an undoubted proof that God had sent the apostles; and was a proof which they would much more sensibly and tenderly feel than they could any letter of recommendation written in ink.

Not in tables of stone - It is generally admitted that Paul here refers to the evidences of the divine mission of Moses which was given by the Law engraved on tablets of stone, compare 2 Corinthians 3:7. Probably those who were false teachers among the Corinthians were Jews, and had insisted much on the divine origin and permanency of the Mosaic institutions. The Law had been engraved on stone by the hand of God himself; and had thus the strongest proofs of divine origin, and the divine attestation to its pure and holy nature. To this fact the friends of the Law, and the advocates for the permanency of the Jewish institutions, would appeal. Paul says, on the other hand, that the testimonials of the divine favor through him were not on tablets of stone. They were frail, and easily broken. There was no life in them (compare 2 Corinthians 3:6 and 2 Corinthians 3:7); and valuable and important as they were, yet they could not be compared with the testimonials which God had given to those who successfully preached the gospel.

But in fleshly tables of the heart - In truths engraved on the heart. This testimonial was of more value than an inscription on stone, because:

(1) No hand but that of God could reach the heart, and inscribe these truths there.

(2) Because it would be attended with a life-giving and living influence. It was not a mere dead letter.

(3) Because it would be permanent. Stones, even where laws were engraved by the finger of God, would moulder and decay, and the inscription made there would be destroyed. But not so with that which was made on the heart. It would live forever. It would abide in other worlds. It would send its influence into all the relations of life; into all future scenes in this world; and that influence would be seen and felt in the world that shall never end. By all these considerations, therefore, the testimonials which Paul had of the divine approbation were more valuable than any mere letters of introduction, or human commendation could have been; and more valuable even than the attestation which was given to the divine mission of Moses himself.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Corinthians 3:3. Manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ — Ye are in our hearts, and Christ has written you there; but yourselves are the epistle of Christ; the change produced in your hearts and lives, and the salvation which you have received, are as truly the work of Christ as a letter dictated and written by a man in his work.

Ministered by us — Ye are the writing, but Christ used me as the pen; Christ dictated, and I wrote; and the Divine characters are not made with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; for the gifts and graces that constitute the mind that was in Christ are produced in you by the Holy Ghost.

Not in tables of stone — Where men engrave contracts, or record events; but in fleshly tables of the heart-the work of salvation taking place in all your affections, appetites, and desires; working that change within that is so signally manifested without. See the parts of this figurative speech:

1. Jesus Christ dictates.

2. The apostle writes.

3. The hearts of the Corinthians are the substance on which the writing is made. And,

4. The Holy Spirit produces that influence by which the traces are made, and the mark becomes evident.

Here is not only an allusion to making inscriptions on stones, where one dictates the matter, and another cuts the letters; (and probably there were certain cases where some colouring matter was used to make the inscription the more legible; and when the stone was engraved, it was set up in some public place, as monuments, inscriptions, and contracts were, that they might be seen, known, and read of all men;) but the apostle may here refer to the ten commandments, written by the finger of God upon two tables of stone; which writing was an evidence of the Divine mission of Moses, as the conversion of the Corinthians was an evidence of the mission of St. Paul. But it may be as well to take the words in a general sense, as the expression is not unfrequent either in the Old Testament, or in the rabbinical writers. See Schoettgen.