Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

                                                                                                           2 Corinthians 3:4-6 

Are you living with a sense of spiritual confidence toward God? As believers in Jesus Christ, we should be. Part of putting on the armor of God is to give us this kind of confidence, security, and strength. Today’s passage is a good reminder that we are fully equipped to go and share the new covenant with others.

Notice Paul’s declaration, “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.” He doesn’t say that we should have this confidence, it is to be a given. Why? It is because our adequacy to be ministers of the new covenant does not come from ourselves. In fact, we should not, “consider anything as coming from ourselves.” When we disqualify ourselves from participating in the sharing of good news with others or, even more tragically, mentally disqualify ourselves from salvation due to a moral failure or other struggle with sin, we are not only laying down something that is rightfully ours, we play right into the hands of the enemy. His goal would be to silence as many Christians as possible, so if his accusations can convince us that we are inadequate to share the gospel, he has succeeded in stifling one more spiritual life.

Now, the reality is that our adequacy doesn’t come from ourselves rather “our adequacy is from God, who has made us adequate as servants (ministers) of a new covenant.” This is the essence of standing with our feet firmly planted on the goodness and grace of our heavenly Father and the completed work of salvation on the cross of Jesus Christ.

The word “adequate” might ring hollow if we do not properly understand it. If someone was to do a job performance evaluation on us and they concluded was that we were “adequate” in our job, we might interpret that to mean just ordinary, without any exceptional qualities. But that is not the word that Paul is using at all. The word “adequate” in this passage means that we are “fully equipped” or “adequately supplied.” In other words, it means that we have everything that we need to succeed. And this adequacy does not come from ourselves (ever) rather it comes from God.

Perhaps the most important part of this passage comes toward the end. As believers, we are ministers of the new covenant. Paul distinguishes between the old and the new covenants, using “either/or” language rather than “both/and” rhetoric. The new covenant is not of the letter (of the Law). In order for us to “shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” we must shed the old covenant. That doesn’t mean that God’s standard has changed merely that the way we are declared righteous, forgiven, and saved, has. It is not by works of the Law that mankind is justified rather it is by faith in Jesus (Galatians 2:16).

Paul contrasts this shedding of the old covenant with our reception of the new. This new covenant is not of the letter but by the Spirit. Rather than attempt to establish our own righteousness (which is the definition of being self-righteous, Romans 10:1-4), we gladly and freely receive God’s salvation through His grace and by our faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. This faith ushers in the presence of the Holy Spirit into our lives. We are forever held in that security since all of this is a working of God in making us adequate rather than our efforts in trying to be adequate.

Paul concludes this passage with the reason why this truth is so important. “The letter kills but the Spirit gives life.” The letter of the Law will always bring death. God did not give us the Law in order to bring us to righteousness (Galatians 2:21). The Law was given to lead us to Christ in whom we find forgiveness and salvation by faith (Galatians 3:24). We must let go of the old covenant in order to grab hold of the new. Continually placing ourselves under the curse of the Law will bring us into despair, condemnation, and shame. But when we stand firm in the good news that in Christ we are adequately supplied and when we walk by the power of His Spirit that lives in us, we are ready to stand firm in the battle (Ephesians 1:19, 3:20-21).

Paul describes two kinds of spiritual existence. One of the letter that ultimately kills and fails to bring spiritual confidence. The other, life in the Spirit of God with all of the abundance, effectiveness, and power that comes from resting in Him. The choice is ours. If you are a born again believer in Jesus, you are adequate to participate in salvation and the sharing of the new covenant with everyone around you! Put on the full armor of God!

To shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace means:

1. That we stand firmly in the gospel for our own salvation and share this good news with others
2. As believers, we recognize that God has made us adequate to share this good news