THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE Devotion 1 of 33 In Second Corinthians, Paul reveals the nature of spiritual reasoning. While First Corinthians was more corrective and directive in nature, the Second letter is more expository, providing examples of the superiority of Kingdom thought. There is a certain mind-set that pervades all Apostolic writings – an intelligent circumference within which all thought and verbal expression is realized. The text that will be expounded in this particular series is an excellent example of this. -- Tomorrow:
"But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass 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 3:15-18, KJV)
With the skill of a spiritual surgeon, Paul is cutting away the malignancy of erroneous thought that had assaulted the Corinthian church. The eruption of all manner of transgression among them had confirmed that their thinking was not in synch with the mind of the Lord. Later he will remind them that "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:4-5). Presently Paul himself is throwing down bastions of erroneous thought. However, the point must come when the Corinthians themselves must engage in this battle in a consistent and productive manner.
A NOTE CONCERNING APOSTOLIC DOCTRINE
Having been myself once subverted in the manner in which I thought concerning "the Apostles' doctrine," I am particularly sensitive in this area. It does bear upon what is being delineated in this text. The subversion of the Corinthians was owing to their failure to see the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the New Covenant. That is why Paul is expounding the covenant, comparing it with the Old Covenant that had a lesser glory, even though given by God and ratified with blood (Ex 24:8; Heb 9:18-20). At some time, the Corinthians had been turned away from the Gospel to a different kind of emphasis, and it had been disastrous.
There is a tightly woven association between Christ Jesus, the Gospel, and the New Covenant. They are like the "threefold cord" of Solomon's reference that is "not quickly broken" (Eccl 4:12). Christ Jesus Himself is the subject of the Gospel, and the ultimate One with whom the covenant was made. Of that ancient promise to Abraham – the Gospel in an embryo – it is said, "Now to Abraham AND HIS SEED were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, AND TO THY SEED, WHICH IS CHRIST" (Gal 3:16). As soon as this threefold association becomes blurred, false doctrine and erroneous emphases at once enter. When Christ is not preached, there is no longer any good news. When Jesus is not central, there is no longer any profitable realization of a "New Covenant," for that covenant depends wholly upon Jesus Christ, who is its exclusive Mediator.
CHRIST, THE GOSPEL, AND THE NEW COVENANT
We are apprised that the early church "continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42). What was that doctrine? Simplistically, it might be said to be what they taught, for "doctrine" means "teaching," or "that which is taught" (THAYER). But that is not a sufficient explanation, for the walls of academia are too restricted to contain the truth.
I want to establish that the "Apostles' doctrine" consistently maintained the associations of Christ, the Gospel, and the New Covenant. This was, in fact, their "doctrine" – the hub upon which all teaching, exhortation, admonition, rebuke, correction, and instruction were suspended. Their "doctrine," in this view, was not the corrective instruction they gave. Rather, it was the enduring part of what they said, that blended with God's eternal purpose and the ages to come.
Instruction, correction, rebuke, admonition, and exhortation are technically the implications of the doctrine, and not the doctrine itself. They all have to do with man's response to the message – a response that is imperative, yet is not the message itself. The Gospel is the core of all sound doctrine, for it is unchanging, leaves no room for opinion, and is the same under any and all circumstances. Rome, Corinth, Galatia, etc., might require different kinds of correction, rebuke, and instruction in righteousness – but they will NOT receive a different "doctrine."
This series will deal with the "doctrine" of the Apostles – the teaching that related to the Person of Christ, the Gospel that proclaimed Him, and the Covenant that He is administering. These are realities that every believer must have. They are the firm foundation for our lives. They are unchanging in all of their facets, and eternal in their implications. What Paul wrote in the text with which we will deal is as pertinent and essential today as when it was read by the Corinthians. It has never, nor will it ever, be updated, adapted to a specific culture, or tailored for a different people.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I praise You for providing a foundation upon which acceptable lives can be built.