The Vision of the Tabernacle |
The Ministers of the New Covenant |
Whoever exercises the ministry of the new covenant in a serious way cannot walk in craftiness (2 Cor. 4:2). Craftiness is the ability to use words for the purpose of deceiving others. Those who are crafty use half-truths, phrases with double meaning, arguments and other resources to obtain what they desire. Most people in one way or another use these tricks many times every day in an unconscious way.
The Bible tells of the life of someone like this: Jacob. In order to get the birthright, he used tricks and lies toward to his brother and father. In order to deal with Jacobs’s craftiness, God gave him his uncle Laban as his boss. Laban was much more crafty and astute than Jacob, who suffered at his hand for the twenty-one years that he served him.
Satan was the first one in history who used cunning by speaking a half-truth when he conversed with Eve, thus sowing doubts into her concerning the word of God, which resulted in sin (Gen. 3:1-2). We must use these criteria when we listen to any saint: “Is what he is saying questioning the word of God? Does he want to “open our eyes” to show us what the saints and the church are “really” like? Is he always exalting or praising us? Does he seem to want to establish a “special” fellowship with us in order to make secret confidences or comments that are not related to Christ and the church?” All these things are signs of craftiness, of words used with evil intentions. We need to be wise and watchful regarding this.
Whoever wants to exercise the ministry of the new covenant cannot use craftiness under any circumstances. We must not use politics when we talk to others in order to gain their sympathy or to not wound or hurt them. If we have to speak something to a brother, we need to use love and wisdom and speak frankly. Being correct does not dispense love and genuine love does not ignore sins and faults. When we have to speak frankly to a brother in order to help him realize some wrongdoing he has committed, we should not rebuke him in a harsh way. Instead, we should pray with him and minister the word to him with life, not for the purpose of condemning him but to enlighten him. It is in God’s light, especially through His word, that we receive the true light of who we are and what we are doing (Psa. 36:9; 34:5). The ministers of the new covenant need to be honest in their attitudes and words. Our speaking should be yes, yes and no, no. What is beyond this comes from the evil one.
Second Corinthians 2:17 says, “For we are not like the many, adulterating the word of God for profit.” Many people use the word of God for their own benefit, thus following the example of Balaam (Num. 23). There are many who use the word of God as a way to become rich financially, using biblical texts according to their good pleasure. This brings shame to the name of God.
The sense of this verse is different from 2 Corinthians 4:2, which says, “Not adulterating the word of God.” Adulterating the word means to add concepts or interpretations that are not according to the entire revelation of the Bible. It is like adding leaven to bread dough to make it tastier and easier to chew. Few appreciate unleavened bread, no matter how healthy it is, because they prefer the comfort of leavened bread.
This can be seen when expositors of the Bible try to make certain passages acceptable and easy to understand by saying they do not say exactly what they say, that it is necessary to consider the customs of the times or that today is different because values and customs have changed…This is leaven and it is adulterating the word of God.
A clear example of this is the interpretation that many give of Matthew 19:24: “And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Here Jesus was presenting a matter related to faith, which was necessary for the salvation of those who were attached to their riches and trusted in them. In this situation Jesus presented this comparison. Since it is impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, some preachers come up with some original explanations of this verse. They say that in Jerusalem there was a gate called the Gate of the Needle. In order for the camels that were carrying burdens to pass through it, the load had to be taken off and the camel had to crouch down, lower its head and crawl through little by little to get through the gate. This explanation completely removes the need for faith and repentance for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. It means that, even though it is difficult, with “skill” the camel can enter, by crouching and crawling. This is to adulterate the word of God. If we love the word, we must accept it as it is and submit ourselves to its teaching and revelation and not be conformed to our concepts and interests.
The ministers of the new covenant should be people who, in their attitudes and words, bring peace to every man’s conscience. By their attitudes and words being holy and according to God, they are like a seal of approval on people’s conscience. Paul did not need letters of recommendation because the Corinthians themselves were his letter (2 Cor. 3:1-3). It was as if he were saying to people, “Do you want to know me? Do you want to know who I am? Then look at the churches I have taken care of. They manifest what I am.”
If we want to be proper ministers of the new covenant we must live in such a way that our own conduct recommends us to the conscience of every man before God. The people we help should have the conviction in their own conscience that all we do for them manifests the truth to them, which is God Himself (4:2). In 1 Thessalonians 2:10 we read, “You are witnesses, as well as God, how in a holy and righteous and blameless manner we conducted ourselves toward you who believe.” Because Paul was holy and righteous, he was inscribed on the saints’ hearts, even to be able to call God Himself to testify to this.
God expects and desires that at this time, so close to His coming, His children will be willing to serve Him as ministers of the new covenant that He has established with men. God needs His ministers to take the word of reconciliation to people in order to bring them out of darkness and sin and into the full enjoyment of His loveable Person.
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