Ministers of the New Covenant: Sharing God’s Word with Grace and Truth

2 Corinthians 3:6

6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (NIV)

As ministers, we are to administer the truth of God’s Word. We are called to make disciples, teaching the ways of God as He has laid out in His Word. The Apostle Paul taught Timothy to be sure to rightly handle the Word of God. As we share Scripture and teach the principles within, we must rightly handle the Word of God as ministers of the New Covenant.

There is a way to handle the Word of God from the perspective of the old covenant or the new covenant. The old covenant is the letter of the law. This kills. The new covenant is grace administered through us to others by the Holy Spirit. When we use the Word of God to beat people down, condemn, and judge them as horrible people for not being perfect, we are acting as ministers of the old covenant — the law — which kills the spirit. But when we share and teach the Word in the Holy Spirit, grace will flow from our words. People will not feel condemned but loved. They will not be drawn to feelings of rejection, but to the reality of being wanted by God, who literally died to have the opportunity to be with them.

Whether we handle the Word of God rightly is determined by our motives. As we minister to others, our motive must always be for them to see the love and grace of Christ, creating a desire in them to follow Him. Ours is a ministry of reconciliation. We must present His ways, including the naming of sin, in a way that people see how holiness is what is best for them, their relationships, and their children.

If our motive is to puff ourselves up or to hurt those we disapprove of, we will use Scripture wrongly. We will be ministers of the old covenant, not the new. But only those who minister the new covenant can live in the most beautiful plan He has prepared.

Prayer: Lord, help me to receive Your Word in grace even as it teaches holiness. And help me to share Your Word in grace as I help people move toward holiness. Amen.