"who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
2 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV)
Connections are important and without the right connections we can have problems. Our phones have a connection to the telephone company, computers are connected to the Internet, and appliances need to be connected to electricity to function properly. If our phones, computers, and appliances get separated from what they need to be connected to we miss out on all the benefits we can have from those things when they are connected. There are times when something can hinder the connections we should have, so we need to be sure that we keep everything properly connected.
When God created man, He was connected to them and had a relationship with them. God told them they should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; He said if they did they would die. As we know from the story, Adam and Eve did eat from the tree. But, while they were sent out of the Garden of Eden, they did not instantly die. What happened? The first thing we need to realize is that death does not talk about an end but it refers to a separation. When Adam and Eve sinned they were separated from God, which caused them to lose the benefits they had in their relationship with God.
Today we have a new covenant with God based on what Jesus did for us. Paul says that this covenant is not of the letter but the Spirit; the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. Paul was saying that today we live in this new covenant that is based on the grace of God and not the letter of the law of the old covenant. The only way to maintain a proper connection to God is through the Spirit, not the law; we maintain our connection with God spiritually, not by following rules. If we try to base our relationship with God on living by laws, we are really separating ourselves from God and it will cause us to miss out on the blessings and benefits we should have in our relationship with Him.
2 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV)
Connections are important and without the right connections we can have problems. Our phones have a connection to the telephone company, computers are connected to the Internet, and appliances need to be connected to electricity to function properly. If our phones, computers, and appliances get separated from what they need to be connected to we miss out on all the benefits we can have from those things when they are connected. There are times when something can hinder the connections we should have, so we need to be sure that we keep everything properly connected.
When God created man, He was connected to them and had a relationship with them. God told them they should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; He said if they did they would die. As we know from the story, Adam and Eve did eat from the tree. But, while they were sent out of the Garden of Eden, they did not instantly die. What happened? The first thing we need to realize is that death does not talk about an end but it refers to a separation. When Adam and Eve sinned they were separated from God, which caused them to lose the benefits they had in their relationship with God.
Today we have a new covenant with God based on what Jesus did for us. Paul says that this covenant is not of the letter but the Spirit; the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. Paul was saying that today we live in this new covenant that is based on the grace of God and not the letter of the law of the old covenant. The only way to maintain a proper connection to God is through the Spirit, not the law; we maintain our connection with God spiritually, not by following rules. If we try to base our relationship with God on living by laws, we are really separating ourselves from God and it will cause us to miss out on the blessings and benefits we should have in our relationship with Him.
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