“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
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 — the new covenant (diathēkē kainē) is the governing reality of Christian ministry. The letter (gramma) kills because law, divorced from Spirit, condemns. Spirit gives life (zōopoiei) because it regenerates and empowers obedience. This passage shapes all subsequent Protestant theology of law and grace.
Church Fathers on 2 Corinthians 3:6
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to account anything as from ourselves.” See again, yet another corrective. For he possesses this virtue, humility I mean, in singular perfection. Wherefore whenever he says anything great of himself, he makes all diligence to soften down extremely and by every means, what he has said. And so he does in this place also, saying, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to account anything as from ourselves:” that is, I said not, “We…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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