THE KING’ S BUSINESS
ten in living letters on the heart, a cover nant therefore, “not o f'th e letter, but o f the Spirit.” “ The letter, (i. e., the letter written merely outside o f man in a book, or on tables o f stone) killeth, but the Spirit (i.e., the Holy Spirit writing the Word o f God in our hearts and characters and lives) giveth life” (cf. John 6:63; Rom, 8:2). In other words, if we only have the truth of God written in a book, it will only bring us condemnation and death, but if we receive the Holy Spirit, who writes the truth o f God in our hearts and lives, He will thereby impart life to us. What are w Sunday, January 27 . ' 2 Cor. 3 : 3 , 4 . Not only were the saints in Corinth Paul’s letter o f recommendation, they were also Christ’s letter. Paul was the pen that Christ used in writing this letter. It is a glorious privilege to be Christ’s pen to be used in writing in the lives and hearts of men. As Paul’s letter o f commendation they were written in his heart; but as Christ’s letter written through Paul, the writing was “in their hearts.” God once wrote with His finger the ten command ments on tables o f stone (Ex. 31:18; 32:- 16), but He is now writing His whole will on our hearts (v. 3, R. V .). Even in the Old Testament days He had promised that He would do this (Jer. 3:31-34). This writing which God is now •doing in the hearts o f men He does “with the Spirit of the living God.” The words “the Spirit o f the living God,” is another name, afid a deeply significant name, for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Spirit o f a God who once lived and acted (in the days, for example, o f Moses and Eli jah) but He is the Spirit o f a God who lives and acts today. Paul was confident that he was thus the instrument in God’s hand fo r ' this glorious work o f writing epistles o f Christ. His confidence, however, was not toward man, but toward God, and Through Christ Paul was “ sufficient for these things” (cf. ch. 2:16). He was not, however, sufficient o f himself to account, anything as coming from himself. His suf ficiency was “ from God.” Do we thus look to God, and to God alone for sufficiency? Do we account absolutely nothing as com ing from ourselves? This is the way, and the only way, to be really sufficient for the awful responsibility for which God calls us. But God had really made Paul suffi cient, sufficient to be a minister o f the new covenant o f God with man, a covenant not written, as the old covenant was, in mere dead letters on tables of stone, but writ it was through Christ. Monday, January 28 . 2 Cor. 3 : 5 , 6 .
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