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THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
By Ted Schroder,
March 1, 2015
What is one of the distinctive features of Christianity that separates it from other religions and philosophies? What is that special ingredient that makes a difference between other good people and the follower of Christ? What spiritual resource can the Christian draw on in the midst of the pressures of life that enables and empowers him in a special way? St. Paul calls it "the ministry of the Spirit" (2 Cor.3:8). He contrasts it with the religion of the moral law -- or legalism.
The moral law, like many other religions and philosophies, is spiritual, good, holy and righteous (Romans 7:12). Moses brought us the Ten Commandments and the call to live ethically in accordance with the will of God. All religions have their ethical standards which may be admirable. Confucianism teaches respect for authority, hierarchy, social order, self-discipline, justice, the principle of reciprocity: "what you do not wish others to do to you, do not unto them. Taoism teaches that life is good and to be enjoyed by liberating yourself from malevolent spirits in the body through yoga, astrology and occult rites. Islam teaches that salvation is achieved through your good deeds outweighing your bad deeds. Hinduism emphasizes the law of karma (cause and effect) which carries the consequences of a person's good and bad deeds through a succession of lives. A Hindu strives to live appropriately in order to achieve a better rebirth or release from the cycle of rebirth. Buddhism is a quest for enlightenment and an acceptance of ethical principles to avoid the extremes of sensual indulgence and physical austerities. Judaism teaches life with God through adherence to the covenant of the Torah, the Writings and the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament. In the modern era secular political ideologies have become new forms of legalism. There are fundamentalisms of political correctness as well as fundamentalisms of narrow-minded religious judgmentalism. All of them preach salvation by moralism -- salvation by your own good works -- pull yourself up out of your human condition, your disintegrated personality, your loss of rational control, your personal dilemmas, in your own strength.
While there is an element of truth and goodness in each aspect of the moral law, it cannot save you and you cannot save yourself on your own. It becomes a heavy burden to bear. Failure to fulfill its demands results in guilt. No amount of exhortation to do what we ought to do will change people's behavior. Appeals to our better nature fall on deaf ears. We have hard hearts and blind eyes. Self-interest trumps any altruism we might have. Sermons by politicians and preachers will not empower changes of behavior. St. Paul contrasts all these endeavors to be good with the more glorious ministry of the Spirit. "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!" (2 Cor.3:9-11)
What is this ministry of the Spirit, this distinctive feature of Christianity that separates it from other religions and philosophies? What is that special ingredient that makes a difference between other good people and the follower of Christ? What is this special resource of which St. Paul speaks?
When you turn to the Lord in faith you receive the ministry of the Spirit for "the Lord (Christ) is the Spirit". The Spirit is God's own personal presence given to indwell us and give life to us. God comes into to us and fills us with his presence and his power. The transcendent God becomes immanent -- the objective becomes part of our subjective experience. That which is outside of us and above us becomes inside of us: in our minds and our consciousness, our emotions and our will. What effect does this have on us?
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor.3:17). We are liberated from legalism, from being condemned by our failings, from our guilt, from falling short of our expectations and ideals, our ethical standards, from our despair at our shortcomings. The Spirit frees us from the past to launch us into the possibilities of the future with its goals of wholeness and personal flourishing in the kingdom of God.
The Spirit directs our attention to the person and character of Christ so that we might become more like him. "We reflect the Lord's glory." Our life-long goal is to become like Christ in his character. The ministry of the Spirit empowers us to work on producing the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. These moral qualities are the by-product and goal of the ministry of the Spirit, not standards by which we are judged. Because becoming none of these fruit comes naturally to us the only way we can develop them is through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. Nor do they come full grown. They must first come in the bud, then the flower, and finally the fruit. It is a gradual transformation of character that is envisaged. We "are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory" (2 Cor.3:18). It is a lifelong process of growth and transformation that will not be accomplished in this life.
How does the Spirit grow this fruit in us?
God gives us the means by which the Spirit ministers in our lives: biblical truth, prayer, fellowship, worship and the Lord's Supper, and with them through the subjective means of grace whereby we open ourselves to change, namely thinking, listening, questioning oneself, examining oneself, admonishing oneself, sharing what is in one's heart with others, and weighing any response they make. The Spirit shows his power in us through the formation of holy habits. The fruit of the Spirit itself is, from one standpoint, a series of habits of action and reaction: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are all of them habitual dispositions, that is, accustomed ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. All these attempts to become like Christ need to be soaked in constant prayer, that acknowledges our inability to change ourselves and in thanksgiving recognizes that:
Every virtue we possess, and every victory won,
And every thought of holiness are his [the Spirit's] alone. (Harriet Auber)
(J.I. Packer, Keep In Step With the Spirit, p.109)
Do you want to become like Christ in his character? Do you want to grow the fruit of his life in your relationships with others? Do you want to reflect the Lord's glory: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If you want to be gradually transformed then seek the ministry of the Spirit in your life.
O let the Son of God enfold you with his Spirit and his love,
Let him fill your life and satisfy your soul.
O let him have the things that hold you and his Spirit like a dove,
Will descend upon your life and make you whole. (John Wimber)
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