The New Testament ministry, as revealed by the apostles, is not a matter of merely speaking about Christ or laying down rules. Its very essence is the impartation of Christ Himself to believers. This is not theoretical or external; it is a real, inward building up—a working of an eternal weight of glory within us (2 Corinthians 4:17). This glory is not for outward display, but is a substantial reality wrought into the believer as we receive the revelation of Christ through the ministry of the Word.
The Fatal Error of Law-Based Teaching
Paul draws an uncompromising line between true ministry and law-based teaching. Law-based teaching—no matter how zealous or spiritual it may appear—produces only condemnation, wounds the conscience, and robs the believer of boldness before God. It stunts spiritual growth and leaves the believer crippled, unable to stand confidently in God’s presence. Paul exposes this as building with “wood, hay, and stubble” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13): materials destined to be consumed by fire, with no lasting value. Worse, this kind of ministry damages the very temple of God, which is the believer himself. To accept law-based teaching is to accept a ministry that will be burned up and that leaves lasting harm to the conscience and the soul.
In contrast, the ministry that reveals Christ and His finished work builds with “gold, silver, and precious stones”—incorruptible materials that represent the eternal value of Christ being wrought into the believer. This is not a secondary issue. If you trade Christ-centered ministry for law, you do not merely lose a little joy or assurance; you forfeit the very substance of your inheritance and the foundation of your confidence before God.
The Foundation: Our Position and Inheritance in Christ
The only ground for this true building is our position and inheritance in Christ—not our works, not our striving, not our performance. We are already justified, accepted, and seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6). This is not a future hope but a present reality. When you see and enjoy who you are in Christ, you are freed from the tyranny of self-examination and the endless cycle of trying to measure up. Instead, you gain a boldness and confidence before God that is utterly foreign to the law.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
If you abandon this foundation and return to rules, standards, or law, you lose your boldness. You lose the enjoyment of your inheritance. You lose the very transformation that God intends for you. The law can only ever leave you condemned and uncertain; only Christ can give you confidence and rest.
The Ministry of the Whole Body
This ministry is not reserved for a spiritual elite. God’s design is that every believer participates in the building up of the body. As you are edified by the ministry of Christ, you will naturally begin to share the Christ you have received with others. This is not a program or a duty—it is the overflow of enjoying Christ. Each member supplies what they have received, and the result is a cycle of refreshing and strengthening throughout the body (Ephesians 4:16). The whole church is built up in love, not by external standards, but by the mutual sharing of the riches of Christ.
The Only True Transformation
The New Testament ministry does not impose rules or standards on believers. It unveils the unsearchable riches of Christ that are already yours by inheritance. As you behold Christ, you are transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is not a superficial change in behavior, but a substantial building up of Christ within you—the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
To settle for anything less—to accept law, rules, or performance as your ground—is to lose the very heart of the New Testament ministry. You forfeit the inward transformation, the boldness before God, and the mutual edification of the body. You trade gold for stubble, glory for condemnation, and inheritance for uncertainty.
Let us not be deceived: Only the ministry that imparts Christ Himself, based on our position and inheritance in Him, produces the eternal weight of glory God desires for His people.
Scripture References:
- 2 Corinthians 4:17 – “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 – “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
- Ephesians 4:16 – “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
- Ephesians 2:6 – “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
- Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
- Colossians 1:27 – “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
