The Letter is Born

.... In our previous posting we discussed the revelation of the sufferings and glory of Christ, and how it came forth to the Old testament prophets. In the beginning, this prophecy was ‘indicated’ to them in the Spirit, which is to say that it was presented to them with perfect clarity -- but even so, it was beyond their initial understanding. The prophets had to search and make diligent inquiry in order to fully discern the meaning (1 Peter 1:10-11).

.... So deep was the revelation they received, as they strove with understanding it, that their character was remade from within (Psalm 12:6). By the time they found words for expressing their revelation of Christ, they had come to fully understanding of the mystery involved and had gained all possible knowledge of it (1 Corinthians 13:2).

.... In the prophets themselves the word now lived, for the Spirit of Christ had fully reshaped their hearts into His own image (2 Corinthians 3:18). And the people who later encountered Jesus would notice the similarity between He and them (Matthew 16:13-14).

.... "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

(2 Corinthians 3:18)

.... The apostles too, in their day, would continue with Jesus in His trials and gain a similar experience in coming to know Him, so that they understood His heart in each matter (Luke 22:28). Soon they, too, could bear witness of Jesus with familiarity, just as the Holy Spirit Himself testifies of Him:

.... "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

(John 15:26-27)

.... With both the apostles and prophets, the mystery of Christ was absorbed so deeply that it progressively reformed their own character from within. People who saw them afterward could read their hearts like an open book, and when they did they saw Jesus clearly written there:

.... ". . . 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 3:3)

.... The understanding of Christ had reached a living, spiritual fullness in the lives of these men who pondered His heart and mind in such a deep way. But in the course of time something else would happen. With the advancement of age and the imminent approach of their death, they were forced to devote this testimony to writing for posterity’s sake:

.... "Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease."

(2 Peter 1:15)

.... As pen touched to paper that power- ful, life-changing message, in it's spiritual understanding of Jesus Himself, was encased in a ‘death’ of its own as the 'letter' of Scripture was born (2 Corinthians 3:6). And so it has stood throughout the ages. But that need not be the end of the story. We’ll continue this discussion in our next lesson.

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Daily Bible Reading: Acts 17