The War Within

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

2 Corinthians 3:7-8

Someone may well raise the question, Why does Paul link the old covenant with the law and call it the ministry that brought death, when in Romans 7 he says that the law is holy, just and good? How could the shining face of Moses, which came as a result of spending forty days alone with God, be a symbol of something that kills?

In Romans 8:3 Paul gives us the clue which explains this enigma: For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. The problem is not the law; it is what the law must work with — the flesh. The word flesh does not refer to the meat and bones that make up the body, but is an equivalent term for fallen human nature acting apart from Christ. The law was given only and solely because the flesh exists. There is no need for law if there is no flesh.

The essential conflict between the old covenant (the face of Moses) and the new covenant (the face of Jesus) is the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Each of us is a walking civil war. The flesh wars against the Spirit within us, just as Paul observed in his letter to the Galatians: For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want (Galatians 5:17). It is because of this inevitable tie between the flesh and the law that Paul refers to the law as a ministry that brings death. In reality, it is the flesh that produces death and which kills, but the law, though it be holy, just, and good, cannot be separated from it.

Perhaps nothing has contributed more to the present weakness of the church than a failure to understand the nature and character of the flesh. The primary characteristic of the flesh is that it is self-serving. It can have all the outward appearance of the life of God — loving, working, forgiving, creating, serving — but with an inward motive that is aimed always at the advancement of self. This is why fallen human beings, working in the energy of the flesh, can do many good deeds, but God does not see them as good. He looks on the heart, therefore he knows they are tainted from the start.

So we see the two splendors. There is a certain splendid attractiveness about the flesh trying to be good. It strongly appeals to many, but it is like the shine on Moses' face — a fading splendor! But the splendor of the new covenant is far greater. It derives from the activity of Jesus at work within humanity. Thus it is perfectly acceptable to God, for it is the activity of his Son and will ever be characterized by His life; a life of genuine love, faithful work, and unreserved forgiveness; a life that is humbly given in service to others without thought of repayment or recognition. That is humanity as God intended humanity to be. That is the humble yet beautiful splendor of authentic Christianity.

Lord, you know my heart better than even I do. Thank you that you have provided a new way for me to live, depending on your life within and not on the energy of the flesh. Amen.