Knowing The Word in 2 Corinthians: Letter of Recommendation, 3:1-3

Letter of Recommendation

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Understanding chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians requires reading between the lines and a willingness to go with the flow of Paul’s mixed metaphors. Paul begins by saying he does not need to produce a letter of introduction because the Corinthians themselves are his letter, his proof of apostleship. Letters of introduction were exceedingly common in antiquity. Philemon and 3 John are New Testament examples. What exactly does Paul mean by saying the Corinthians are his letter and Christ’s letter of recommendation? Their changed lives are the evidence of his gospel work among them. The major point is that Christ, through Paul, is the ultimate author of this letter. It has been Christ all along who has put his Spirit in their hearts.

Be kind to your little children, Lord. Be a gentle teacher, patient with our weakness and stupidity. And give us the strength and discernment to do what you tell us, and so grow in your likeness.

May we all live in the peace that comes from you. May we journey towards your city, sailing through the waters of sin untouched by the waves, borne serenely along by the Holy Spirit. Night and day may we give you praise and thanks, because you have shown us that all things belong to you, and all blessings are gifts from you. To you, the essence of wisdom, the foundation of truth, be glory for evermore.

Clement of Alexandria, c.150-c.215