◄ 2 Corinthians 3:6 ►
And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Study Bible
And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant,

This phrase emphasizes divine empowerment and calling. The "He" refers to God, who qualifies believers for ministry. The concept of a "new covenant" is rooted in Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God promises a new covenant with His people, distinct from the old covenant given through Moses. This new covenant is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, as seen in Hebrews 8:6-13, where it is described as superior and based on better promises. The role of ministers in this context is to serve as ambassadors of this covenant, spreading the message of reconciliation through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

Heb 8:6 Now, however, Jesus has received a much more excellent…
Heb 9:15 Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant,…
Jer 31:31-34 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,…

not of the letter but of the Spirit;

This contrast between "letter" and "Spirit" highlights the difference between the old covenant, based on the law (the letter), and the new covenant, characterized by the Spirit. The "letter" refers to the written code of the Mosaic Law, which, while holy and good (Romans 7:12), could not impart life or righteousness (Galatians 3:21). The "Spirit" signifies the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to live according to God's will, transforming hearts and minds (Romans 8:2-4). This transformation is a fulfillment of Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God promises to give a new heart and spirit to His people.

Rom 7:6 But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released…
Rom 2:29 No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly,…
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

for the letter kills,

The phrase "the letter kills" underscores the law's inability to save. The law reveals sin (Romans 3:20) and brings awareness of transgression, leading to spiritual death (Romans 7:9-11). It acts as a tutor to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24), showing the need for a Savior. The law's demands are impossible to fully meet, resulting in condemnation for those who rely solely on it for righteousness (2 Corinthians 3:9).

Rom 7:10-11 So I discovered that the very commandment that…
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
Gal 3:10 All who rely on works of the law are under a curse.…

but the Spirit gives life.

In contrast, "the Spirit gives life" points to the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit, believers are regenerated (Titus 3:5), born again (John 3:5-6), and receive eternal life (Romans 8:10-11). The Spirit enables believers to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law by living according to God's will (Romans 8:4). This life is not just eternal but also abundant, as Jesus promised in John 10:10. The Spirit's work is transformative, bringing freedom and renewal (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Jhn 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing.…
Rom 8:11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead…
Ezk 37:14 I will put My Spirit in you and you will live,…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul the Apostle
The author of 2 Corinthians, Paul is addressing the church in Corinth, emphasizing his role and the role of other apostles as ministers of the new covenant.

2. Corinth
A major city in ancient Greece, known for its diverse population and significant trade. The church in Corinth faced various challenges, including divisions and misunderstandings about the Gospel.

3. New Covenant
Refers to the covenant established through Jesus Christ, contrasting with the old covenant given through Moses. It emphasizes grace and the work of the Holy Spirit.

4. The Spirit
The Holy Spirit, who empowers believers and brings life, in contrast to the "letter" of the law, which brings condemnation.

5. The Letter
Refers to the Mosaic Law, which, while holy and good, reveals sin and leads to death without the life-giving power of the Spirit.
Teaching Points
The Role of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is essential in the life of a believer, providing guidance, empowerment, and life. Unlike the law, which can only point out sin, the Spirit transforms and renews.

Understanding the New Covenant
Believers are called to live under the new covenant, which is characterized by grace and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, rather than mere adherence to rules.

Life Over Legalism
The focus should be on the life-giving power of the Spirit rather than a legalistic adherence to the law. This means prioritizing a relationship with God over ritualistic practices.

Qualified by God
God qualifies believers to be ministers of the new covenant. This is not based on personal merit but on God's calling and empowerment through the Spirit.

Transformation Through the Spirit
The Spirit's work in a believer's life leads to transformation, producing the fruit of the Spirit and enabling believers to reflect Christ's character.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the role of the Holy Spirit change your approach to living out your faith daily?

2. In what ways can you ensure that your focus remains on the life-giving power of the Spirit rather than falling into legalism?

3. How does the concept of being "qualified by God" as a minister of the new covenant impact your view of your role in the church and the world?

4. What are some practical ways you can cultivate a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit in your life?

5. How can the transformation brought by the Spirit be evident in your interactions with others, and how does this relate to the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Jeremiah 31:31-34
This passage prophesies the new covenant, highlighting the internal transformation and personal relationship with God that the Spirit brings.

Romans 7:6
Paul discusses being released from the law to serve in the new way of the Spirit, reinforcing the idea that the Spirit gives life.

Hebrews 8:6-13
This passage elaborates on the superiority of the new covenant, emphasizing its foundation on better promises and the work of Christ.
Sermons
An Able Minister of the New TestamentJ. G. Rogers, B. A.2 Corinthians 3:6
Letter and SpiritJ. Leckie, D. D.2 Corinthians 3:6
Ministry of the Letter and of the SpiritF. W. Robertson, M. A.2 Corinthians 3:6
Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday After TrinitySusannah Winkworth 2 Corinthians 3:6
The Letter and the SpiritD. Fraser 2 Corinthians 3:6
The Letter and the SpiritR. Tuck 2 Corinthians 3:6
The Letter and the SpiritCharles Kingsley2 Corinthians 3:6
The Letter and the Spirit in the Ministry of ChristianityD. Thomas, D. D.2 Corinthians 3:6
The Letter Killeth, But the Spirit Giveth LifeC. Hodge, D. D.2 Corinthians 3:6
The Letter Killeth, But the Spirit Giveth LifeCanon Scott-Holland.2 Corinthians 3:6
The Letter Killeth, the Spirit Giveth LifeHomilist2 Corinthians 3:6
The New CovenantE. Hurndall 2 Corinthians 3:6
No Letters of Commendation Needed; His Converts Were EpistlesC. Lipscomb 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
The Power, and the Agency it UsesR. Tuck 2 Corinthians 3:4-6
God the Sufficiency of ManJ G. Dalgliesh.2 Corinthians 3:5-6
The Sufficiency of GodW. M. Punshon, LL. D.2 Corinthians 3:5-6
The Old and the NewJ.R. Thomson 2 Corinthians 3:6-11
People
Corinthians, Israelites, Paul
Places
Achaia, Corinth
Topics
Able, Adequate, Agreement, Alive, Code, Competent, Connexion, Covenant, Death, Gives, Giveth, Inflicts, Kill, Killeth, Kills, Letter, Ministers, Ministrants, Quickens, Servants, Serve, Spirit, Sufficient, Testament, Written
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Corinthians 3:6

     1352   covenant, the new
     3040   Holy Spirit, promise of
     3203   Holy Spirit, and assurance
     3230   Holy Spirit, and regeneration
     3236   Holy Spirit, and Scripture
     5110   Paul, teaching of
     6645   eternal life, nature of
     6698   newness
     7944   ministry, qualifications

2 Corinthians 3:3-6

     5381   law, letter and spirit

2 Corinthians 3:6-9

     4018   life, spiritual

2 Corinthians 3:6-17

     4906   abolition

Library
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Gospel Transcends Law.
Text: 2 Corinthians 3, 4-11. 4 And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Transformation by Beholding
'We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image.'--2 COR. iii. 18. This whole section of the Epistle in which our text occurs is a remarkable instance of the fervid richness of the Apostle's mind, which acquires force by motion, and, like a chariot-wheel, catches fire as it revolves. One of the most obvious peculiarities of his style is his habit of 'going off at a word.' Each thought is, as it were, barbed all round, and catches and draws into …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Spiritual Liberty
Liberty is the heirloom of all the sons and daughters of Adam. But where do you find liberty unaccompanied by religion? True it is that all men have a right to liberty, but it is equally true that you do not meet it in any country save where you find the Spirit of the Lord. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Thank God, this is a free country. This is a land where I can breathe the air and say it is untainted by the groan of a single slave; my lungs receive it, and I know there has …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

The Letter and the Spirit
(Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.) II COR. iii. 6. God, who hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. When we look at the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for to-day one after the other, we do not see, perhaps, what they have to do with each other. But they have to do with each other. They agree with each other. They explain each other. They all three tell us what God is like, and what we are to believe …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
(From the Epistle for the day) Teaching us that we ought to receive God, in all His gifts, and in all His burdens, with true long-suffering. 2 Cor. iii. 6.--"The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." THERE are two sorts of men among God's friends; those of the Old Testament, and those of the New. All the men who should be saved before the birth of Christ had to observe the old dispensation with all its rites, until the new dispensation came with its laws and its rites. The old law served as …
Susannah Winkworth—The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler

How to Become Like Christ.
"But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."--2 COR. iii. 18 (Revised Version). I suppose there is almost no one who would deny, if it were put to him, that the greatest possible attainment a man can make in this world is likeness to The Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly no one would deny that there is nothing but character that we can carry out of life with us, and that our prospect …
Marcus Dods—How to become like Christ

That the Body and Blood of Christ and the Holy Scriptures are Most Necessary to a Faithful Soul
The Voice of the Disciple O most sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the blessedness of the devout soul that feedeth with Thee in Thy banquet, where there is set before it no other food than Thyself its only Beloved, more to be desired than all the desires of the heart? And to me it would verily be sweet to pour forth my tears in Thy presence from the very bottom of my heart, and with the pious Magdalene to water Thy feet with my tears. But where is this devotion? Where the abundant flowing of holy …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Ministry of the New Covenant
"Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God: not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. And such confidence have we through Christ Godward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God: who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

The New Covenant: a Ministration of the Spirit
"Ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but on tables that are hearts of flesh . . . Our sufficiency is of God; who also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. For if the ministration of death came with glory, how shall not rather the ministration of the Spirit be with glory? For if the ministration of …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

General Notes by the American Editor
1. The whole subject of the Apocalypse is so treated, [2318] in the Speaker's Commentary, as to elucidate many questions suggested by the primitive commentators of this series, and to furnish the latest judgments of critics on the subject. It is so immense a matter, however, as to render annotations on patristic specialties impossible in a work like this. Every reader must feel how apposite is the sententious saying of Augustine: "Apocalypsis Joannis tot sacramenta quot verba." 2. The seven spirits, …
Victorinus—Commentary on the Apocolypse of the Blessed John

Let not Country Presbyters Give Letters Canonical, or Let them Send Such Letters Only To...
Let not country presbyters give letters canonical, or let them send such letters only to the neighbouring bishops. But the chorepiscopi of good report may give letters pacifical. Notes. Ancient Epitome of Canon VIII. A country presbyter is not to give canonical letters, or [at most] only to a neighbouring bishop. These "letters canonical" were called in the West letters "formatæ," and no greater proof of the great influence they had in the early days of the Church in binding the faithful together …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Note F. Note from Bengel on Rom. I. 4.
According to the Spirit of Holiness. The word hagios, holy, when God is spoken of, not only denotes the blameless rectitude in action, but the very Godhead, or to speak more properly, the divinity, or excellence of the Divine nature. Hence hagiosune (the word here used) has a kind of middle sense between hagiotes, holiness, and hagiasmos, sanctification. Comp. Heb. xii. 10 (hagiotes or holiness), v. 14 (hagiasmos or sanctification). So that there are, as it were, three degrees: sanctification, …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

The Authority and Utility of the Scriptures
2 Tim. iii. 16.--"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." We told you that there was nothing more necessary to know than what our end is, and what the way is that leads to that end. We see the most part of men walking at random,--running an uncertain race,--because they do not propose unto themselves a certain scope to aim at, and whither to direct their whole course. According to men's particular …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Of the Effects of those Prerogatives.
From these prerogatives there will arise to the elect in heaven, five notable effects:-- 1. They shall know God with a perfect knowledge (1 Cor. i. 10), so far as creatures can possibly comprehend the Creator. For there we shall see the Word, the Creator; and in the Word, all creatures that by the Word were created; so that we shall not need to learn (of the things which were made) the knowledge of him by whom all things were made. The most excellent creatures in this life, are but as a dark veil …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Two Covenants: the Transition
"Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep, in the blood of the everlasting covenant, even our Lord Jesus, make you perfect in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ."--HEB. xiii. 20, 21. THE transition from the Old Covenant to the New was not slow or gradual, but by a tremendous crisis. Nothing less than the death of Christ was the close of the Old. Nothing less than His resurrection …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

The Image of God in Man.
"As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."--1 Cor. xv. 49. One more point remains to be discussed, viz., whether the divine image refers to the image of Christ. This singular opinion has found many warm defenders in the Church from the beginning. It originated with Origen, who with his brilliant, fascinating, and seducing heresies has unsettled many things in the Church; and his heresy in this respect has found many defenders both East and West. Even …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Scripture.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."-- 2 Tim iii. 16, 17. Among the divine works of art produced by the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Scripture stands first. It may seem incredible that the printed pages of a book should excel His spiritual work in human hearts, yet we assign to the Sacred scripture the most conspicuous place …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Bible in the Days of Jesus Christ
[Illustration: (drop cap S) Reading from a Roll--old Roman Painting] Slowly but surely, as time went on, God was adding to His Book, until about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ the Old Testament Scriptures, in their present shape, were completed. Many questions have been asked as to how the canon of the Old Testament was formed--that is, how and when did the Jews first begin to understand that the Books of the Old Testament were inspired by God. About the first five Books--the …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Faith an Assurance and a Proof.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen. For therein the elders had witness borne to them. By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which do appear."--HEB. xi. 1-3 (R.V.). It is often said that one of the greatest difficulties in the Epistle to the Hebrews is to discover any real connection of ideas between the author's general purpose in the previous discussion and the …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Unsatisfied Life and Its Remedy
Cant. i. 2-ii. 7 There is no difficulty in recognizing the bride as the speaker in verses 2-7. The words are not those of one dead in trespasses and sins, to whom the LORD is as a root out of a dry ground--without form and comeliness. The speaker has had her eyes opened to behold His beauty, and longs for a fuller enjoyment of His love. Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth: For Thy love [1] is better than wine. It is well that it should be so; it marks a distinct stage in the development …
J. Hudson Taylor—Union and Communion

How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Blessed and Tragic Unconsciousness
'... Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.'--EXODUS xxxiv. 29. '... And Samson wist not that the Lord had departed from him.'--JUDGES xvi. 20. The recurrence of the same phrase in two such opposite connections is very striking. Moses, fresh from the mountain of vision, where he had gazed on as much of the glory of God as was accessible to man, caught some gleam of the light which he adoringly beheld; and a strange radiance sat on his face, unseen by himself, but …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of the Necessity of Divine Influences to Produce Regeneration in the Soul.
Titus iii. 5, 6. Titus iii. 5, 6. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. IF my business were to explain and illustrate this scripture at large, it would yield an ample field for accurate criticism and useful discourse, and more especially would lead us into a variety of practical remarks, on which it would be pleasant …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

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