2 You yourselves are our letter, whose writing is in our heart, open for every man's reading and knowledge;
First of all, I give praise to my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because news of your faith has gone into all the world.
Am I not free? am I not an Apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an Apostle, at least I am one to you: for the fact that you are Christians is the sign that I am an Apostle.
In the measure of the grace given to me, I, as a wise master-builder, have put the base in position, and another goes on building on it. But let every man take care what he puts on it.
It is not with the purpose of judging you that I say this: for I have said before that you are in our hearts for life and death together.
And I will gladly give all I have for your souls. If I have the more love for you, am I to be loved the less?
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 3
The apostle makes an apology for his seeming to commend himself, and is careful not to assume too much to himself, but to ascribe all praise unto God (v. 1-5). He then draws a comparison between the Old Testament and the New, and shows the excellency of the later above the former (v. 6-11), whence he infers what is the duty of gospel ministers, and the advantage of those who live under the gospel above those who lived under the law (v. 12-18).
2Cr 3:1-5
In these verses,
2Cr 3:6-11
Here the apostle makes a comparison between the Old Testament and the New, the law of Moses and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and values himself and his fellow-labourers by this, that they were able ministers of the New Testament, that God had made them so, v. 6. This he does in answer to the accusations of false teachers, who magnify greatly the law of Moses.
2Cr 3:12-18
In these verses the apostle draws two inferences from what he had said about the Old and New Testament:-