新约 - 哥林多后书(2 Corinthians)第3章

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,
will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.
And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.
But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
哥林多后书第三章   林后 3:1-3> 保罗写信荐举人,却说自己不用荐书,是何原因? 

  3:1-3 有些假教师携带着假的荐信,想以此证明自己是有权威的。保罗以坚定的语调表示,他不需要这样的荐信。那些因保罗和他的同工传福音而信主的人,已足以成为他的荐信。但保罗自己却写过多封荐信,例如他曾写信推荐非比(参罗 16:1-2 )和提摩太(参林前 16:10-11 )。这些介绍信帮助保罗所信任的同伴和朋友,在另一间教会里得到友善接待。 

  林后 3:3> 领人归主,是因我口才好,不是吗?那你说是谁的工作? 

  3:3 保罗刻意引用一段着名的旧约经文,预言神子民将要得到新心(参耶 31:33 ;结 11:19 ; 36:26 )。任何传道人都不应以能领人归主而夸耀,这都是圣灵的工作。我们不是按某些守则或运用某些技巧而成为基督徒,乃是神差遣祂的灵进入我们的心中,使我们相信祂,并有新的力量为祂而活。 

  3:4-5 保罗在此并不是要自夸,乃是将他所有的成就都归荣耀给神。假教师夸耀自己的能力和威望,保罗却愿意在神面前保持谦卑。没有人能不需要神的帮助,也没有人能靠自己的力量承担神所交给他的责任。倘若无圣灵加添力量,我们的才能是十分有限的。要为基督作见证,就需要神所赐的品格和特殊的能力。 

  林后 3:6> “精意”叫人活,是什么意思?“精意”从何来? 

  3:6 “那字句叫人死,精意是叫人活”的意思是说想靠着遵守旧约律法而得救,结果就是死亡。惟有相信耶稣基督,仰望圣灵才可以获得永生。律法使人察觉自己的罪,但却不能赐人生命。 

  林后 3:7-11> 我守律法不也可以称义吗?要我靠耶稣?我不喜欢靠人,这我要想想…… 

  3:7-11 保罗把十诫的荣耀和赐生命之圣灵的荣耀作一对比,如果引向死亡的律法是荣耀的,那么藉圣灵而赐我们生命的荣耀岂不更大吗!耶稣基督的牺牲,远远超越旧约的祭礼(参来 8:10 )。既然神的计划是这么奇妙的,我们岂敢随意拒绝呢? 

  林后 3:9> 旧新两约各有作用,你说旧约句句分量重定有荣耀;那新约又如何? 

  3:9 保罗说如果旧约已充满荣耀,那么,请想想新约更是何等荣耀呢?律法是奇妙的,因为虽然它定我们的罪,但却指引我们归向基督。在新约里,律法和应许都已满足了;基督已经来了,靠着信心我们可以被称为义──与神和好。 

  林后 3:13-18> 耶稣死时幔子落,神人隔阻除,只是人心仍有帕子在其上,你说这帕子是…… 

  3:13-18 当摩西从西奈山上携带十诫走下来时,他的脸充满神圣的光彩,因为他与神同在(参出 34:29-35 )。为了不使他面上的荣光吓坏以色列人,他用了一个帕子遮脸。保罗在这里指出,这帕子使人看不见摩西面上的荣光早已褪掉光彩。摩西和他的帕子象征着已褪色的旧制度,以及人的心思意念被骄傲、心硬和不肯悔改所遮蔽了。人若成为基督徒,基督必要除去这块帕子( 3:16 ),赐他永生,不再藉遵守律法称义。这面纱除掉了,我们便可以像镜子一样反照神的荣耀。 

  林后 3:17> 主灵在哪里,那里就有自由──我不用靠守律法也可以得救? 

  3:17 那些尝试靠遵行律法而得救的人,反被律例和典章所捆绑。但现在藉着圣灵,神使我们从罪中和审判中得到释放(参罗 8:1 )。我们信靠耶稣的拯救,祂便除去我们的重担,我们不再为讨神的喜悦而烦恼,或感到内疚,因我们是基督所爱、所接纳和所原谅的,我们可以自由地决定要为祂而活。“主的灵在哪里,那里就得以自由!” 

  林后 3:18> 保罗讲的内容好美,我好想变成主的样式,真的可以吗?