An Open Book

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).

This “letter” of Christ had been delivered by Paul and his coworkers; they were messengers for God and his glorious Good News of salvation. It was written by the Spirit of the living God (the Holy Spirit) on the hearts and lives of those who believed. The Holy Spirit, who was working in the Corinthians’ hearts and was a guarantee of the Corinthians’ glorious inheritance in heaven, affirmed the authenticity of Paul’s message.

The Corinthian congregation received correspondence from the apostle, and, to Paul, they were themselves correspondence to a nonbelieving world. What he taught them about Christ and godly living is observable and understandable. Their lifestyle was a witness without the need for words. What is important to us can be read and evaluated by those who watch us. We are the only Gospel some people will ever read. If you review your personal datebook and checkbook, what kind of a message does your life present?

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.