Why Is Our Tiny Church So Confident?
If you read the church emails : some are full of encouragement. The next week, they are depressing.
I n your own life: really good things happen. And then really horrible things.
And as these events unfold, our feelings trail behind them. T hrown around like a trailer tied to a speeding car by a rope . The car takes corners at speed; the trailer is all over the place. The trailer can be moving this way even while the car has already turned direction. That’s what our feelings are like. They’re constantly thrown around by ever changing facts pulling them in different directions.
So on what basis can you be truly and securely confident in life? If my confidence rested on my feelings, then it would be constantly changing. If my confidence rested on the facts that I can see, then it would also be constantly changing. And that is true for us as a church too. Look at the facts you can see: our church is tiny. How on earth can we be confident?— should we? Well, Paul says in v. 4: Such is the confidence that we have …
And he says two things to give it to us : 1 ) False confidence hides the glory of God’s Law (vv. 7-11) 2 ) True confidence comes from the Spirit giving you Christ outside yourself (vv. 4-6)
1) False confidence hides the glory of God’s Law
Paul talks about true, proper, Christian confidence in vv. 4-6, and then shows us why confidence cannot lie in us or our circumstances . Loo k at vv. 7 – 8 :
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end , 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?
The ministry of death was the Old Covenant , God gave it to Israel through Moses around 15 hundred BC to prepare Israel as the nation through whom he would send his messiah. The preaching of that covenant was the Law, the 10 commandments carved in stone, which preached the glory obtained by perfect obedience. But that covenant was coming to an end, and did end once the messiah came , Jesus . Jesus brought the new covenant, which is the Gospel, the ministry of the Spirit .
Now Paul says the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of the Law ‘ s glory They couldn’t face the requirement of the Law . They couldn’t stand to see its perfect demands. And so Paul explains in vv. 12-13 that they can’t bear to see where the Law is going , just look at vv. 12-13 if you have a Bible open:
we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end .
They were not dealing with something trivial. The Law really was glorious. It really was from God. It really did reveal God’s holy will. But that glory was a killing glory, because it showed what perfect righteousness requires without giving sinners the righteousness it demanded. And so , Moses put a veil over his face. Not because there was no glory, but because Israel could not bear to see where that glory was going: it was fading. It was coming to an end. It was not the final answer. It was driving them beyond Moses to Christ.
And this is how we build false confidence today. False confidence needs a smaller Law. Because a Law shining in all its glory says: You’re not basically fine, you’re dead. You’re not nearly there, you’ve definitely fallen short. You can’t fix yourself, you need help from the outside. We veil the Law by making it external : Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbour as yourself. But we hide huge selfishness behind a veneer of love: We think: “I’m saying this because I care .” But really, we’re trying to take control. We think: “I’m trying to keep the peace.” But really, we’re avoiding telling the truth. And so, we build a false confidence based on self-deception.
We veil the Law by comparing ourselves with “worse” sinners: “But at least I’m not like them.” “I’ve never gone that far.” “At least I’m trying.” So, we build a false confidence thinking “I’m better than that person.”
We veil the Law by turning explanations into excuses : “That’s just how I am.” “I was tired.” “I was under pressure.” “But I’m a victim, I have trauma.” Those may be true. And they’re a reason for compassion. But they don’t in any way justify our sin and lovelessness . We build false confidence that we’re good and just based on a victim narrative.
We veil the Law by turning the Law into a ladder : “I’ve improved; I’m making progress.” “I’ll do better; I’ll try harder.” But the Law isn’t a ladder, it’s a perfect standard. Progress is never a basis for true confidence.
False confidence hides the glory of God’s Law But by doing these things, by hiding behind excuses and lower standards, we avoid the true end the Law was given for, vv. 9-11:
9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
The Law, looked at unveiled, honestly , can never be a basis for confidence . I n fact its true purpose is to show you that you can’t be confident in yourself . Y ou need something outside yourself —you need to be pointed elsewhere .
And so , in the same way: no church can be confident in themselves. If your church is big—you can’t be confident in that. If your church is rich—you can’t be confident in that. Our church is tiny—and so if we look at the Law honest ly , we’re in exactly the same position as a megachurch. Neither of us can be confident in our size.
Instead, Paul says, the Law points us to this:
2) True confidence comes from the Spirit giving you Christ outside yourself
Just look at vv. 4-6:
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul has confidence, rock hard confidence. But look at where Paul’s confidence is. It is not confidence through Paul toward God. It is not confidence through the Corinthians toward God. It is not confidence through visible success toward God. “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God .”
Christ stands between you and God. The Law tells you you’re not righteous enough —but Christ is your righteousness for you . The Law tells you you’re not obedient enough —but Christ is your obedience for you . The Law tells you you’re not sufficient in yourself —but Christ is sufficient for you . The old covenant is always accusing, always pointing you away from yourself: Christ is your new covenant.
You can have confidence . You should have confidence. God gives you confidence: But it is not confidence towed by the car of facts and things you see; thrown around by the circumstances of life.
This confidence is not inside you. It is not in your mood. It is not in your progress. It is not in the size of your church.
It is outside you . I t is in Christ.
Christ has made you sufficient. We are all priests, and in this sense all ministers of the new covenant, to speak the Gospel privately.
You don’t need more training, more experience, more theology. You don’t need to overcome that problem first, or fix that fear first, or become impressive first.
There is no basis for confidence in you —which is why you can be confident. Because none of your failures or weaknesses can damage your reason to be confident . Your sufficiency is from God, not from yourself.
We are a tiny church. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. It feels like every week there are encouragements, but also serious challenges. This week, for me, had some really hard things. And my feelings were thrown around by them. My anxieties pricked, my tears flowed.
But I am really confident . And our tiny church is confident. Because our confidence comes from one who is bigger than any church, or group, or organisation, or problem. Because no church, big or small, is saved by its size. No church is justified by its numbers. No church is sufficient in itself .
A tiny church does not need to pretend it is big. A weak Christian does not need to pretend he is strong. A frightened sinner does not need to pretend she is fine.
You are free from all these things.
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.