Articles
Letters of Recommendation - 2 Cor. 3
Letters of Recommendation - 2 Cor. 3
Letters of recommendation can be a good thing - depending upon who is doing the recommending! Being recommended by the wrong person is worse than no recommendation at all. Why though would Paul need such a letter of recommendation to the church at Corinth? He didn’t!
In Acts 18 we read where Paul came to Corinth and started the church there. Yet now they were asking HIM for such a letter? THEY were his letter! The Spirit used Paul to write the love of Christ upon their very hearts. They ‘believed and were baptized’ into Christ (Acts 18:8) because of Paul’s work. They were ‘washed, sanctified, and justified’ because of the teaching of Paul (1Cor. 6:9-11).
Today we look back at the work of Paul and see MANY such letters of recommendation! Everywhere he went he left believers. It is a strong argument for the truthfulness of Jesus as the Son of God to contemplate the complete life change of Paul. He changed from a hater of Jesus and the church to a believer and an apostle. He threw himself completely into this even willingly giving his life in service to Jesus. The real (and only?) explanation for such change is that the resurrected Jesus DID appear unto him (cp. 1 Cor. 15; Acts 9: ; Acts 22: ; Acts 26 ). His apostleship and commission were from God (1Cor. 1:1). His message was a revelation from God. His teachings were the commandments of God (1Cor. 14:37).
With such a recommendation we gladly accept his offer to imitate him in his following Jesus. He could say that he wished all men were ‘as he is’ (a dedicated believer). We wish that too.
Hugh DeLong
