Letters from Christ: the Calligraphy of the Spirit

Their reasoning must have been, "This is the precious gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! No amount of effort or expense would be wasted. Let's make it beautiful."

And beautiful falls short in describing these manuscripts! They dyed the finest parchment purple and carefully sewed them together into quires of four sheets which, when folded, made sixteen pages. Several of these quires they tied together to form a codex, the ancient equivalent of a book. Scribes then copied the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, using gold and silver ink.

In one particularly beautiful manuscript, the words of Jesus and angels appear in crimson or gold; words quoted from the Old Testament and quotations of the disciples are blue; the words of the Pharisees, of Judas Iscariot, and of the devil are black; and all the other words are vermillion. This masterpiece resides in the National Library of Paris.

We find the beauty and craftsmanship of such manuscripts impressive, but these products of parchment and pen are not nearly as beautiful witnesses to the gospel as the epistles Paul describes in Second Corinthians chapter 3, verse 3: "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

When people see what we do, can they discern the gold and silver letters of the imperishable gospel imprinted on our hearts? Can they see the calligraphy of the Holy Spirit in the attitudes we display: our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control? Can they recognize the divine hand as it transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ? We can make it so by God's grace.

Our place is not in a museum or a national library, but in the houses and on the streets of town, instantly available to anyone who wants to stop and read. No amount of effort or expense is wasted to make our lives beautiful to those who would read Christ in us. God has made us His workmanship, His masterpiece (Eph. 2:10).

Copyright ©2005 Steve Singleton, All rights reserved.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve's free "DeeperStudy Newsletter."

---

Knowledge Of The Power

For it is written in Proverbs 1:7 it says The... Read More

Jesus as the Rose of Sharon

The words "rose of Sharon" comes out of the Old... Read More

Peaceful Religions?

If you say that Christianity is a peaceful religion according... Read More

Reading the Bible

A friend of mine had asked my thoughts on how... Read More

The Women Issue

The following message entitled THE WOMAN ISSUE is a study... Read More

Conserving Water at a Car Wash Fundraiser

If you use a pressure washer during your fundraiser you... Read More

Signs and Symbols

In the year 2005, the American Constitution has put into... Read More

Ministry Of Absence

I was meditating the other day and contemplating the thousands... Read More

The Wealth of the Wealthy

Some may ask, why can't I have a lot of... Read More

Women as Catholic Priests: The Time for Change is Now

In ancient Rome, the cradle of democracy, women had no... Read More

Christians in Peril.

Romans 7:8-7:25. The Christian today has become a people without... Read More

The Emmaus Journal ~ The Standards Of This World Are Not Our Standards

The Emmaus Journal The Standards Of This World Are Not... Read More

Do You Have a Name For Me?

MAN: Good afternoon Professor Knowledge. Let me cut to the... Read More

Rebuilding Society and The Tax Protest Movement: Part Two

Part Two continuedThe Christian's duty of paying taxes even extends... Read More

Cloning: Is the Human Being Unique?

I am not discussing here whether cloning is evil. [I... Read More

The New Heaven And New Earth

Now that Satan, all of his fallen angels and all... Read More

We Must Be Ready. But How?

Revelation 19:7 states, "Let us rejoice and give honor unto... Read More

Denominations Gone Wild: What Happened To Unity?

The Bible teaches that Christians ought to practice a single... Read More

Catholic Church Ready to Fall?

Americans waited for an explanation of the molestations of thousands... Read More

Meaning and Marketing - The Will

You are now inside one of the top theological schools... Read More

Politics and Christianity

Revelation 20:1-20:10Politics and Christianity - there has been many an... Read More

Worship and Praise in Charismatic Churches

This article was in response to an email about someone... Read More

The Purpose of Creation: the Kabbalah of Transformation

"I want to know how God created this world. I... Read More

Of Snakes and Terrorism

With the passing of Arafat, the Middle East will take... Read More

A Partnership With God

Hey, God is trying to partner with you! He wants... Read More

Dante and Hell

DANTE: - Dante Alighieri is the tour guide of Hell.... Read More

End-Times and the Other Bible

Can you imagine Biblical "End-Times" prophecies happening in your lifetime?... Read More

The Study of Saints and Why Its Important

Sainthood?that title given by the Catholic Church that seems to... Read More

Is Your Life Significant?

"I also say to you that you are Peter, and... Read More

Speaking of Speaking in Tongues

A young bible college student once wrote and told me... Read More

The Word: What has it Changed in You Lately?

In Matthew 13 Jesus relates a paprable to His disciples.... Read More

Mindset - Being Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind

The Bible tells us that one of the main goals... Read More

Freedom of Religion

We were all taught in school that our forefathers left... Read More