1. The New Testament writings may be classified in the following categories
a) Gospels
b) History
c) Epistles
d) Prophetic
2. The inspiration to write
a) This comes from the Holy Spirit
b) Faithful servants of God wrote as they were moved by the Spirit of God
c) Their writings form what we regard as the Holy Scriptures
AN ESTRANGED RELATIONSHIP
1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?
2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
1. The Historical Context
a) Paul was the founder of the Church in Corinth
b) But false teachers and false brethren had driven a wedge between Paul and the Church
c) Paul was greatly maligned by the false teachers/ brethren
d) The relationship between them was at a very low ebb
2. Paul was poorly regarded by some from the Corinthian Church
a) That Paul almost needed a letter of commendation to the Corinthian Church
b) This was a ridiculous idea for Paul surely did not need a letter of commendation
AN AMAZING PERSPECTIVE
1. An Epistle written in the heart
a) Paul had a team of fellow-workers
b) Paul’s team
i) Silas
ii) Timothy (Acts 18:5)
c) The Corinthians were described as “epistles”
a) Written in the hearts of the Pauline Team
b) They were an epistle
i) Known
ii) Read by many people
2. Paul’s affection of the Corinthians was well-stated
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,
6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
a) Paul rejoiced over the Corinthians
b) He exulted in the many spiritual gifts found among the members
c) Paul had nothing but praise for the Corinthian believers
PAUL’S PERSPECTIVE OF THE CORINTHIANS AS EPISTLES OF CHRIST
1. They were living epistles of Christ
2. The people who were instrumental
a) They were but instruments of the Lord
b) Paul, Silas and Timothy made their marks on the Corinthian church
3. The real Writer
a) The Holy Spirit Himself is the Divine Writer
b) He wrote on hearts of flesh
c) His writing instruments were Paul and his team
GOD’S WORD ON THE NEW COVENANT
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people
Jeremiah 31:33
1. The promise of a New Covenant
2. God will write on the hearts of the believers
3. The Lord would be their God
4. Believers would become His people
5. The Spirit of God writing on hearts is a fulfilment of this word of promise
6. This is a great truth that needs to be fully comprehended
CONCLUSION
1. True believers
a) God writes on their hearts
b) They become living epistles of Christ
2. The Divine Writer
a) He seeks to write on our hearts
b) It is wise not to resist His ministry
3. It takes much wisdom and humility to apply this truth
a) We are not self-made people
b) We have human instruments God uses to write on the heart