"Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover?". 2 Corinthians 3:7-18.

In this sermon, Tim begins by using a common statement stated by others, "Don't judge a book by its cover," while acknowledging that discernment is still necessary. Using an example of a suspicious person claiming to be an FBI agent, Tim emphasizes the importance of using wisdom in determining trustworthiness. This idea is then applied to faith, questioning how much a person’s visible glory or reputation should influence their credibility, particularly in the Christian ministry.

The sermon then discusses the "super-apostles" in the early church who sought credibility through letters of commendation. These individuals used social proof to validate their authority, contrasting Paul’s approach, which relied on the transformation of believers as evidence of his ministry. Paul draws a comparison between Moses’ ministry—marked by the Law, which brought condemnation—and the ministry of the Gospel, which brings righteousness. While the Law had glory, it was temporary, whereas the Gospel’s glory endures.

Ultimately, the message highlights that the true measure of a minister is not outward credentials but the impact of the Gospel on people’s hearts. Paul reminds the Corinthians that their faith, transformed by the Spirit, is the real testimony of his ministry. The sermon concludes by urging believers to listen to Jesus, repent, and believe the Gospel, emphasizing that the glory of Christ’s salvation is eternal and should shape how they live their faith daily.

 This Sunday sermon, based on 2 Corinthians 3 verses 7-18, was preached at Grace of God Lutheran Church on March 2, 2025.  This sermon is preached by Pastor Timothy J. Walsh, a member of WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). Scripture selections come from the New International Version.

Intro Music "On the Way" by Vlad Gluschenko https://soundcloud.com/vgl9
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Outro Music "Divenire" by Ludovico Einaudi
copyright (℗) by: Ludovico Einaudi (in 2006)     

Transcript

Friends, grace and peace to you in the name which is above every name, the name of the one who showed his glory on the mountaintop, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Good advice. And yet, like all proverbial wisdom, it isn’t always the right choice. If, as you walk down the street, someone in street clothes walks up to you and tells you he’s an undercover FBI agent, and you’re in grave danger, and you need to climb into his windowless van so he can whisk you away to safety; feel free to judge that book by its cover. God has given you eyes and a brain; make use of them. 

Deciding to what extent what we see about someone influences the trust we may or may not have in them is a matter of great wisdom. To what extent should our trust depend on visible factors? Or, to use a word we heard repeatedly in our second reading today, how should someone’s glory - their visible greatness - how should it influence our faith in them?

It is entirely appropriate for what we see about someone to influence our trust in them. That “FBI agent,” for example, should not be trusted. Someone who is visibly drunk should not be trusted for a ride home from a party. In Second Corinthians  - the book of the Bible which our sermon reading today comes from - the apostle Paul addresses that issue (trusting someone based on what we see about them) as it pertains to Christian churches, to Christian ministers. 

When Paul wrote this letter, his own status as a teacher in the Christian church was being challenged by a group called the “super-apostles.” We’re not sure whether this was a name they gave themselves or if it was given to them by others. Regardless, we learn in Second Corinthians that these super-apostles wanted to be regarded as teachers in the church. They wanted people to trust them and their guidance and their explanation of the Bible. And they told people, “Here’s how you can know that we’re trustworthy.” The super-apostles went from church to church bearing and gathering up letters of commendation.

These don’t seem to have been anything more complicated than letters written by the members of different churches which these super-apostles had visited which spoke well of them. This was a known custom in early Christian churches. When Christians journeyed somewhere unfamiliar to themselves, but where there were other Christians, they would go with letters from a Christian back home who was known to the other group. If Tim intended to go from Israel to Rome, where he had never been, he would take a letter written by Tom, who had been to Rome previously, to assure the Christians in Rome that he, Tim, was one of their brothers.

The super-apostles turned this custom of letters of introduction into letters of commendation. They asked people not simply to write them letters affirming their faith. They wanted five star reviews. And then, with a stack of commendations in hand, they would ask Christians in the churches Paul had started, “How many of these did Paul have? Oh, Paul doesn’t go around with any letters of commendation? Well, isn’t that strange.”

The super-apostles wanted people to see these letters as something glorious, as something visible which affirmed their trustworthiness. And still today, such things occur. Some people set themselves up as teachers because they went to seminary. Some set themselves up as teachers because they didn’t go to seminary. Some show off a great pile of certifications and credentials and ordinations and titles. Some simply show off their numbers; money raised, people served. All claiming that, on the basis of this or that glory, they should be trusted.

The first verse in our reading today is part of Paul’s answer to the super-apostles. Verse seven, “The ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory.” What Paul calls the “ministry that brought death” was the ministry of Moses, to whom God gave the Law on Mount Sinai. With this, Paul is saying, “The super-apostles have “letters of commendation”? Ooh. Very impressive. But not as impressive as the “letters of commendation” God gave to Moses. If you, Corinthians, think that letters of commendation are important, follow Moses.” No one was walking around with more impressive “letters” than those which Moses had! Moses’ commendation was written on stone tablets by the finger of God himself.  Whatever letters the super-apostles had were as nothing in comparison.

But the Corinthians knew that they were not followers of Moses. Paul had made that clear in his first letter to them, the letter we call First Corinthians. At various points in that letter, he makes it clear that there is a discontinuity between the Law given through Moses and the life of the New Testament Christian. First Corinthians ten twenty-five, Paul says, “Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’” So the dietary restrictions laid out in the Law of Moses are negated. In chapter seven, he says, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.” The fundamental act which marked someone as a member of the nation of Israel, Paul says, doesn’t matter. Given that, Paul is telling the Corinthians, you can’t concern yourselves with letters of commendation. If that were what mattered, go follow Moses, with his stone tablets. But you know that’s not the path. So you should look for  different glory.

Paul’s words are true for us as well. We do not look for letters or ordinations or certifications or titles to evaluate ministers. We look for something else. What do we look for? To verse nine now: “If the ministry that brought condemnation” - Moses’ ministry - “was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!”

Paul notes, Moses’ ministry came with glory. Moses’ ministry was the ministry of the Law, and it was glorious because God gave it glory. God caused Moses’ face to shine forth gloriously when he came down from Sinai with the Law, as we saw in our first reading. The Law, simply put, is God’s Word regarding how we ought to live. Moses’ Law contained many commands which were particular to the people of Israel (like the examples noted earlier; dietary rules, circumcision). But it also contained commands which God intends for all people to obey. 

In First Corinthians, Paul negates those aspects of the Law which pertained solely to Israel. But he affirms other aspects of God’s Law in First Corinthians. In that letter, he gives the congregation instructions on how to deal with one of their members who had been sleeping with his stepmother. Paul tells them, “This man needs to be rebuked. He must stop this perverse activity. If he will not, put him out of your fellowship.”

Later in Second Corinthians, he also lists off various sins which would merit the same consequence. Chapter twelve verse twenty, he says he fears that next time he visits their congregation, he fears that he’ll find “discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, disorder, sexual sin, and debauchery.” If he would find such things on his next visit, it would be necessary to rebuke. To condemn. To excommunicate.

That word, “excommunicate;” that’s the word we use to describe the ultimate penalty Christian congregations administer to those who persist in sin. It’s two Latin words. “Ex,” outside of. “Communicatio,” fellowship. To excommunicate is to announce to someone, “You are outside of Christian fellowship.” That does not simply mean that someone is no longer a member of one particular church. To be excommunicated is truly to be removed from the invisible Christian church, the fellowship of all believers. And if you are outside that fellowship, you will not live with God in eternity. To be excommunicated is to be condemned to hell.

The man who was sleeping with his stepmother was excommunicated by the Corinthian church, after they received Paul’s instructions. It was announced to him that he was condemned to hell. 

The next thing that I’m going to say; please hear it well. There is glory in such an action. Excommunication - the ministry of the church as it announces condemnation - is glorious. But that glory is like the glory of Moses coming down from Sinai. It is a terrifying glory. Excommunication is not a topic which one discusses lightly. People can fall in love with this terrifying glory. Some churches become trigger-happy, announcing excommunication after excommunication, constantly purging the body of believers. Moses veiled his face, that the Israelites might not overesteem the Law’s glory. So too, we speak of excommunication warily.

Paul has a further comment on Moses’ veil. Verse twelve, “Moses would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.” This is an important point. The Law’s glory passes away. It is transitory.

What does that mean? We see it in the case of this man from Corinth. Second Corinthians starts off with an update on his situation. The Corinthians had sent their own letter to Paul (which we no longer have) in reply to First Corinthians. The Corinthians must have told Paul, “We excommunicated this brother, and he did stop. He is pleading for our forgiveness. What should we do?” That must have been what happened, because here’s Paul’s further instruction about the situation, from Second Corinthians two: “The punishment inflicted on him is sufficient. Now, forgive and comfort him. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive.”

When Paul says, “the punishment is sufficient,” he doesn’t simply mean, “The man has suffered enough.” Moreso, he means, “The punishment has done its job. Your brother has seen his error and repented. Now welcome him back.” Excommunication is never, ever, ever practiced with the hope that it sticks. Excommunication is always done with the hope that it will be undone.

This is what it means that the law’s glory is transitory, as Paul says in verse eleven. Its penalty can be repealed. The Law is never meant to be the Church’s final word. It may sadly be. Someone may ultimately hear the announcement of condemnation as the final word from the Christian church. But such is never our desire. Instead, the Christian Church always hopes for the final word which we leave on someone’s ears to be the Gospel.

The Gospel is God’s Word regarding the work of Jesus on your behalf. The Law and the Gospel are both God’s Word. The Law is God’s Word about you, and what God wants from your life. The Gospel is God’s Word about Jesus, and what God has done for you through Jesus. What has God done for you? He has forgiven all your sin. He has a room in his house and a place at his table for you. He will raise you from death one day, to be his child in joy and peace forever.

That message has a lasting glory. The Gospel’s glory remains. And it’s on the basis of the Gospel that Paul says we should judge teachers in the church. In the beginning of chapter three, he says this to the Corinthians: “You yourselves are our ‘letter.’ You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ before God.” Paul is saying, “The confirmation and commendation of my ministry is you, Corinthians. It’s the fact that through the Gospel I preached to you, you now have faith in God, which shows itself in your lives of love.”

On the mount of the Transfiguration, God the Father spoke to Peter and James and John from heaven. He told them, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” What is the message which Jesus preached? Jesus himself sums it very simply in Mark chapter one. Jesus began his ministry preaching this message. “Repent and believe the good news!”

“Repent.” The word in Greek for repent literally means, “Have a change of mind.” To repent is, first, to see that you are a sinner (which is not naturally how we see ourselves). To repent is to have God change your mind through his Word, such that you see your sinfulness and hate your sin and understand your need for a Savior. But that is not all of repentance. Repentance is then to “believe the good news.” To believe that God has forgiven you for the sake of Jesus. 

Listen to Jesus, who showed his lasting glory as the Savior you can trust. See your sin, and believe the good news. Live out that faith in daily love, knowing that God’s glorious promise of your forgiveness will last. Amen.