Raising the Spirit from the Letter

.... Like the prophets before them, the apostles received instruction from the Spirit of Christ. This powerful communication, when taken to heart, was capable of reshaping them from within (John 14:17); for as they meditated on the things they learned and connected with the living heart and mind of Christ behind them, these insights conformed them to His image (2 Corinthians 3:18). For the rest of their days, an understanding of Jesus would shine through them as they became living epistles of His life (2 Corinthians 3:3).
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.... In those early days, and for thirty years, the only Scripture available to the church was the Old Testament’s Messianic prophecy. It readily confirmed the apostle’s word and provided a basis for ‘comparing spiritual things with spiritual’ in the testimony of Jesus, as the two perspectives were carefully weighed together (Ephesians 2:20). And in this manner the whole message of our Lord was communicated to the first generation of Christians who would likewise show His life in their hearts:

.... "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)

.... So let's think about those first thirty years carefully. During that time the testimony of Jesus lived in the apostles and in those who heard them, even without the New Testament being written, and the affect in their lives was strong. One-eighth of the world would come to belief in Jesus within the apostle's lifetime. But finally, with the deepening of age and the approach of the apostle's deaths, they were compelled to write these things down for posterity’s sake (2 Peter 1:15). Pen touched to paper and the spiritual life of the New Testament was encased in letter and death:

.... ". . . who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

(2 Corinthians 3:6)

.... This necessity presented future generations of Christians with a challenge. To some, reading the New Testament would never take them beyond the letter in which it was encased. The Bible would become a ‘rule book’ to govern their conduct while producing a religious aura of death, rather than promoting the life of Christ Himself. For the spirit of the Scripture is in it’s testimony of Jesus, and in missing this perspective the life giving spirit of Christ could only have eluded them (1 Corinthians 15:45; Revelation 19:10).
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.... Others, reading the very same words, were deeply moved and stirred, and were drawn to seek the Lord with heartfelt devotion. In seeking the testimony of Jesus, they had moved beyond the letter and back to the original, spiritual form in which the message was given (2 Corinthians 3:6,17; Revelation 19:10). Impressions were formed through their meditation, like deep groanings within them; and by comparing those impressions with others they had gained from reading the Scriptures, especially the Messianic prophecy, their understanding of the heart and mind of Christ matured, and their relationship with Him grew deeper over time (1 Corinthians 2:13). Soon they, too, would become Christ like as His character shined through them.

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.... In other words, it is the task of every Christian to reverse the process that the prophets and apostles were obliged to take when first they committed their understanding to the letter; that we, by reading their words and by seeking the testimony of Jesus contained in them, may raise again the spirit from the dormancy of the letter, that it may live again in our hearts. Through this, with lively prayer and meditation, as we find life's applications, His words will connect again with our lives and reshape them, conforming us to Jesus’ image as originally intended.

You have now Completed the second module on the Oracles of God. To proceed to the Prayer Module, click here

Daily Bible Reading: Acts 18