While it is natural to feel encouraged by praise and commendation, believers must ensure that such affirmation is not their primary motivation. When human approval becomes the driving force, God’s views subtly become secondary or even equated with human opinions—an attitude that is ultimately offensive to God. Depending on human approval inevitably leads to disappointment because such approval is fleeting and unreliable, as we see both in the life of Jesus and in our own experiences.
Paul’s need to defend himself to the Corinthians reveals that they doubted his competence and credentials, perhaps because his suffering seemed shameful by worldly standards. People often look to wealth, talent, power, and outward achievements as measures of worth. Similarly, churches and ministries today are frequently evaluated by numbers, popularity, or outward impressiveness. Yet these are not the things that impress God. The Lord looks at the heart, not outward appearance, as 1 Samuel 16 teaches. Paul emphasizes that true approval comes from the Lord, not from self-commendation. Our confidence and authority as believers and ministers must flow from God’s commendation through Christ, not human endorsement, which can so easily deceive us.
Proverbs 27:2 reminds us, “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth.” Though it is tempting to subtly highlight our efforts or sacrifices, true humility involves entrusting praise to others—or more importantly, to God. Paul exemplified this posture. He did not seek to elevate himself, but only clarified who he was when necessary, always aiming to please God, the source and goal of his ministry.
When the Corinthians questioned Paul and expected letters of recommendation, Paul pointed out that the greatest evidence of his ministry was the Corinthians themselves. Their transformed lives were his “letter from Christ.” Christ was the true author of their new life, writing not with fading ink, but “with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” Paul was simply the messenger through whom Christ worked. This underscores that genuine transformation—not human credentials or effort—is what validates a minister’s faithfulness.
Paul goes further by declaring that he is not competent in himself to claim anything. “Our competence comes from God.” Despite his profound accomplishments and remarkable endurance for the gospel, Paul maintained a posture of sober humility. His encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus destroyed any illusion of self-sufficiency. His heritage, zeal, and knowledge—once his greatest sources of pride—had not saved him but had fueled his persecution of the church.
This truth extends to all believers. Regardless of our gifting, experience, or confidence in ministry, no one is self-sufficient. Preparing sermons, counselling others, or offering comfort are all empty without the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot awaken the spiritually dead, soften hard hearts, or transform lives by our own ability. God never intended for us to bear the burden of self-sufficiency. Only God is self-sufficient. Our limits are real, and God never asked us to save the world.
Holding together both our incompetence and God’s competence guards us from pride and from paralysis. Though we are insufficient in ourselves, God generously shares His competence with us, granting strength, wisdom, and grace for the tasks He calls us to. Like Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones, our role is to obey and speak, even when the situation looks impossible. God provides sufficient competence for the task—but the outcome belongs fully to Him. We are ministers of the new covenant, pointing people to Christ; the transformation of hearts remains God’s work alone. Recognizing our insufficiency should drive us to deeper dependence on the Lord, who makes us capable.
If God is truly at work in us, our lives should give evidence of this transformation. We should be able to say that we are indeed “letters from Christ,” visible and legible to others. When God writes His living word upon our hearts, it naturally produces visible change—shaping our thoughts, speech, actions, priorities, and desires. The fruit of our faith and ministry is seen in transformed lives—both our own and those we minister to. If there is no visible change, we may be imparting mere information rather than leading others to encounter the living God.
Genuine Christianity is not only inward—it inevitably manifests outwardly. As we approach the end of the year, it is fitting to reflect prayerfully on whether our lives reflect God’s glory. May we aspire to be true letters from Christ, displaying His work in us and bringing glory to His name.
[AI-generated notes from this sermon]
