Bible Study 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Introduction

2 Corinthians 3:4–6 NKJV

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Message

I want us to read again 2 Corinthians 3:1-4 to marry some teaching concepts tonight in our study.

2 Corinthians 3:1–4 NKJV

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. 4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God.

You remember our last time together that one of the last truths we discussed was the idea of letters of commendation. You may remember that I stated that in Bible times churches did not have all the many ways we can vet a visiting pastor of his credentials prior to arrival. We can get on the phone and call our DOM Brother Neal Hughes and vet a visiting pastor. We can watch their sermons on YouTube. There are numerous ways to vet a guest pastor. Obviously they did not have those types of resources. Usually, a letter would be sent from another church that the visiting pastor would bring at the time of his visit to give credibility to his message.

Another way we vet a preacher or teacher of the Word is by looking at his pedigree in formal education. I believe that if you went in my office and saw a couple of visible tools to vet me, one would be my degree in Pastoral Ministries from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I am proud of that degree because I completed in at not 25, 35, or 45 years of age, but at 55 years of age. I was on the 10 year track to complete my formal education. The one I believe is an even greater letter of commendation is the letter of ordination that came from my home church saying they see manifest those traits to ordain me to the gospel ministry. Licensing says I sense a call on my life, ordination states the church sees the manifest attributes that I am called to the ministry. That is very affirming.

But Paul stated there is a commendation that is greater than all of those attributes. Corinth, you are our letter of commendation. God used me to minister to you and lead you to salvation and to newness of life in Christ. Dearly beloved, the greatest evidence of any of our callings in Christ Jesus is the changed lives that God has allowed us to play a part in.

So thinking in that vain of transition, I want to discuss tonight the topic of ministry.

The Efficacy or Efficiency of Ministry

Firstly, in the small section I read, I want us to discuss the ultimate efficiency in ministry.

Let’s focus on verse 3:

2 Corinthians 3:3 “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.”

If you were to counsel someone on what they need to do to enjoy God’s best in ministry, to see fruit from their labors and to see God reign victorious, His kingdom grow. I believe much is embedded in this verse.

Epistle

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 1992. ἐπιστολή

1992. ἐπιστολή ĕpistŏlē, ep-is-tol-ay´; from 1989; a written message:—“epistle”, letter.

Paul was saying that the church at Corinth was a written letter of Christ. They were a story of a life changed in Christ. Paul was standing and talking to the fruit of his ministry. But, think it important to be humble to the result of those lives changed. We are no place to be pious or spiritually arrogant to the lives we touch. We need to understand the efficacy of our efforts and place proper glory to the Lord in His efforts as we minister. But at the other end of the spectrum, this idea of total humility and the fact that we lack any confidence is stating that God hasn’t engifted us at all, that we have no role whatsoever and that is not true either.

“Known and read by all men”-oh dearly beloved, we are described as the hands and feet of Jesus. Now, if you and I ever choose not to minister that does not mean that the Lord will not get the job done. He will choose others to do His bidding. We will miss the blessing.

The reality someone had to carry the message to be written on the hearts of the people of Corinth.

This occurs in the prophet Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in the temple. After being cleansed from sin by a burning coal from the altar (Isaiah 6:6–7), Isaiah hears God ask who will go and deliver His message to the people. Isaiah responds willingly and obediently, setting the tone for his prophetic ministry.

Isaiah 6:8 “8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.””

“Ministered by us”

1 Corinthians 3:5 “5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?”

We have discussed a great deal of late and we finished “Faith Foundations” that each of us have our own Judea areas of ministry. God has called every one of us that are His children to a place of service. The key is He has called us to serve and serve with excellence.

We are going to discuss the second aspect-sufficiency in just a moment realizing that if we feel well equipped and find our service easy-we are probably working in our own power. The Lord wants us stretched where we feel we are totally reliant on Him for the task He has at hand. If you feel overconfident and comfortable in the place God has you, you are probably not growing and seeing fruit because you have not taken steps of humility to feel a sense of inadequacy in your need of Him.

But, on the other hand, God has called and for those He calls He equips.

The major cop out is for a minister layperson or vocational that goes at ministry blindly, not studied, not prepared and hang their hat on the fact oh the Holy Spirit will provide. That is a cop out for laziness in ministry. God calls for His people to work.

Serve with Zeal

Romans 12:11 “11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”

This verse balances Holy Spirit empowerment ("fervent in spirit") with personal responsibility ("not slothful in zeal") — a clear call to passion and energy in serving the Lord.

Work as Unto the Lord

Colossians 3:23–24 “23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Though directed to all believers, this principle holds true for ministers: our labor is not merely for man’s approval, but for Christ’s glory, demanding heartfelt effort.

Be a Diligent Worker in the Lord

2 Timothy 2:15 “15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Paul instructs Timothy, a young pastor, to do his best — to work hard, study, and handle the Word with accuracy and care. Lazy handling of God’s Word is shameful.

Some of these relate to those vocationally called to the ministry, but the concept holds true to each of us.

Two situations:

The Community Fair-what ever area you are called to serve if nothing other than promoting now-do it with diligence

The Men’s Breakfast Sunday-7:30 am-Snoudoun Baptist Church

-voted to support inter-church Youth Ministry

“Written not with ink”-we are the pen

“but by the Spirit of the Living God”

Oh dearly beloved, the pen is us that takes the message to His people. The ink is the Holy Spirit.

As we consider that let me ask you a question? Are you taking the Lord to man?

It is vitally important that we evangelize and take the message to the people. But, if we understand the ink of the letter is the Holy Spirit, are you taking man to God?

We must ask God to intervene in our ministry for those that God has placed on your hearts.

So, what is the efficiency or efficacy of ministry?

-Using our time, our talents, our gifts for the furtherance of the gospel-working as working for the Lord Himself.

Secondly, understanding that without the Holy Spirit, we are fruitless. We must be prayed up for the Lord to do a work that only He can do.

Our Sufficiency in Ministry

2 Corinthians 3:4–6 “4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

Sold Out

2 Corinthians 3:4 “4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God.”

Paul was called-You are Called

Paul had a proper perspective of his role in ministry. He knew that God had called Him. There was no doubts when He encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Acts 9:1–6 “1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.””

We would call this an astonishing sequence of events.

God told Ananias to share these words with Paul:

Acts 9:15 “15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.”

Let me ask you-aside from your salvation experience, what time in your life was it so obvious that it was of God to serve Him for a time in a certain capacity?

Sufficiency Not In Self-But of God

2 Corinthians 3:5 “5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,”

Now earlier I spoke of the efficiency or the efficacy of God, but now Paul is balancing the scales in favor of the Lord.

Sufficiency

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 2425. ἱκανός

2425. ἱκανός hikanŏs, hik-an-os´; from ἵκω hikō [ἱκάνω or ἱκνέομαι, akin to 2240] (to arrive); competent (as if coming in season), i.e. ample (in amount) or fit (in character):—able, + content,

The danger we all can get into is cookie cutter ministry. We feel as if we are not being stretched, pushed beyond our bounds-stretched to new heights-functioning in a capacity we have never been.

COVID-Zoom ministry, Drive Up Church-Small praise team-leading our music out on the Portico, Facebook streaming.

Pulling off a Community Fair

Dearly beloved, those have all been functions that stretched us. That made us uncomfortable. You could say well, we are very comfortable in those endeavors today and I would agree. But at the time we performed those ministries it was all cutting edge, out of the box ministry and we all felt so insufficient.

Oh dearly beloved, when God plants the seed of thought to attempt something new, God equips us for what He is calling us to do.

John 15:5 “5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

I would say to you as I would say to myself that if we are not placed in some uncomfortable settings not knowing whether we can accomplish what God is asking, we probably will not see the fruit from our labors.

God Calls the Inadequate so that His strength and Sufficiency are made Clear

Moses – "Who am I?"

Exodus 3:11–12 “11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.””

When God called Moses at the burning bush, Moses responded with deep insecurity — doubting his ability to speak, lead, or be taken seriously. He offered multiple excuses (Exodus 3–4), even begging God to send someone else.

God doesn’t respond by boosting Moses’ ego but by affirming His own presence: "I will be with you." It was never about Moses’ sufficiency — it was about God’s.

Jeremiah – "I am only a youth"

Jeremiah 1:6–8 “6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.”

Jeremiah was likely a teenager or very young man when God called him to be a prophet to the nations. He felt too young, inexperienced, and afraid to speak.

God affirms that His calling is accompanied by His presence and enabling. Jeremiah’s age and insecurity were no barrier to God's purpose.

God Uses the Weak and Foolish

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 “26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

God intentionally calls the unlikely and unqualified so that the glory is His, not ours. This passage aligns beautifully with 2 Corinthians 3:4–6 where Paul declares:

“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves... but our sufficiency is from God.”

Ephesians 3:7 “7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.”

Dearly beloved, when I consider the growth in many of you over this time frame I have served here at Mt Zion, I am in awe of God’s handiwork.

-we have three individuals over 60 years of age that have embraced the technological aspects of ministry here at the church-they have learned ProPresenter software, they have adapted quickly at using our Church hymnal Accompaniment software, they have learned about a 32 channel mixer board and how to download mp4 videos and mp3 audio files and the list goes on. Oh dearly beloved, that’s God’s handiwork.

2 Corinthians 3:6 “6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

2 Corinthians 3:6 reminds us that true ministry is not about charisma, credentials, or personal capability—it is about being made competent by God through the Holy Spirit.

Paul declares, “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.”

This verse is both humbling and liberating. It humbles us because it confronts the illusion that we can accomplish anything spiritual in our own strength. But it also liberates us because it anchors our confidence in God's sufficiency, not our own. Whether you're preaching a sermon, teaching a Sunday School class, leading a small group, or sharing your faith with a friend, your adequacy comes from God, not your ability. The old covenant, rooted in law, exposed sin and condemned, but the new covenant, empowered by the Spirit, brings life. Therefore, don’t shrink back because of inadequacy—step forward knowing God empowers what He calls. The Spirit does not excuse laziness, but He empowers our faithful labor with life-giving results. Let us be ministers not of death-dealing religion, but of Spirit-filled transformation.