2 Corinthians 3:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you?

NIV: Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

NASB: Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?

CSB: Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

NLT: Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not!

KJV: Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

NKJV: 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?

In times past, Paul had enjoyed a close relationship with the Corinthians. He had founded the church in Corinth and led many of them to faith in Christ. Their deep respect for him had diminished, though, over time. Some had pledged their allegiance to other apostles and teachers over him. He had rebuked others involved in various sins and foolish practices.

More recently, the Corinthians stood with Paul, against a man who challenged his authority. Still, Paul felt the need to insist that he and those with him were not dishonest "peddlers" of God's Word (2 Corinthians 2:17). They were truly sent out by God to represent Christ.

Now Paul asks if he and his friends need to commend themselves to the Corinthians again. Do they need new letters of recommendation to or from the Corinthians? It was common practice for traveling teachers or speakers to come with such letters. These were written by themselves or others, to establish their credentials to people who did not know them. Such letters are something like the resumé or CV modern people present to potential audiences and business partners.

Paul is not condemning the use of such letters. Instead, he seems to be asking the Corinthians if he has not already proven himself to them based on their history together. He says in the following verses that they themselves—their growth and character and place in Christ—have become his letter of recommendation to the outside world.

Second Corinthians 3:1–6 poetically describes the only letter of recommendation Paul needs for his legitimacy as an apostle: the Christians in Corinth. Paul and his friends delivered Christ to them. The Corinthians are a letter written by Christ not with ink but with the Holy Spirit, not on tablets of stone but on human hearts. God is the one who has empowered Paul for the ministry and who sent him and his friends into the world to do it.

Second Corinthians 3 begins with Paul's insistence that Christ's presence in the hearts of the Corinthians should be all the evidence they need that his ministry is true. He compares the limited glory revealed by the Old Covenant between God and Israel with the far greater glory revealed by Christ to all who come to Him by faith. That glory is revealed only when the veil of unbelief is removed through Christ by the Holy Spirit's power. Those who see God's glory in Christ begin to be changed to become like Him.

Earlier chapters described the Corinthians' response to Paul's earlier instructions. Here, Paul once again defends the legitimacy of his role as an apostle of Christ. He then compares the old covenant of the law of Moses with the new covenant of faith in Christ. The old covenant revealed human sinfulness, God's condemnation, and the death required to pay for sin. The new covenant brings God's forgiveness for sin to all who trust in Christ, making it possible to look on His glory and to begin to be changed by it into the image of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. This launches Paul into a description of the value of the gospel, in contrast to the struggles of earthly life.

Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.