Living Letters
“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.” 2 Corinthians 3:2
When seeking new business, most salesmen point to previous work as evidence of the quality of their product. For Paul the Corinthians are this evidence. But that is only the superficial explanation for this verse. The ‘evidence’ goes much deeper. It is more akin to the great painter displaying his best and beloved piece to an artisan demonstrating his skill.
Paul’s work with the Corinthians comes from his heart and lives in his heart. Building a church can only be a labour of love: for God first, then for His people and for the church that we constitute.
The passion must be on both sides, however, and here is where Paul is going with his argument in verse 3. His heart love for God must be transferred to the members . Jeremiah 31:31-34 speaks of the new covenant written on our hearts, and not stone.
This is the new covenant: love, not legalism; spirit, not letter of the law. But this is only because God’s law is in our hearts. This is the hardest task. It’s easy to build a church by rules, but to write God’s law on the hearts of believers, to live it out in the spirit – that is Paul’s great passion: it should be mine too.