Note 9 at 2 Cor. 3:6: God made Paul and his companions sufficient, adequate, and able to perform the duties of serving others the truths of the New Covenant. It was God that enabled them.

There are two Hebrew words (pelach, sharath) and three Greek words (diakonos, leitourgos, huperetes) that describe a "minister." These words carry the idea of one who breaks open the Word of God (Lk. 1:2), serves God by serving others (Mt. 25:40; Phil. 2:25), worships (Dt. 10:8; 21:5; 1 Chr. 16:4), a waiter or one who runs errands and attends to menial tasks (Ps. 103:21), a servant (2 Chr. 29:11; Ps. 101:6), a public servant who functions in the service of the temple or the gospel (Acts 26:16; Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 4:1), an under-oarsman, i.e. a subordinate (Mt. 26:58).

Ministers in the scriptures are described as being ministers that do His pleasure or will (Ps. 103:21), ministers of God (Isa. 61:6; 2 Cor. 6:4), ministers of the sanctuary which come near to minister unto the Lord (Ezek. 45:4), ministers of the altar (Joel 1:13), ministers of the LORD (Joel 2:17), ministers of the word (Lk. 1:2), ministers of Christ (1 Cor. 4:1; 2 Cor. 11:23), ministers of the new testament (2 Cor. 3:6), and ministers of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:20-21; 11:15).

Other titles and names of ministers in scripture are: Ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), apostles (Eph. 4:11), bishops, elders, and deacons (1 Tim. 3:1; 5:17; Acts 6:1), fishers of men (Mt. 4:19), overseers (Acts 20:28), preachers (1 Tim. 2:7), servants of God (Jas. 1:1), shepherds (Jer. 23:4), soldiers of Christ (2 Tim. 2:3), Stewards of God (Ti. 1:7), stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1), witnesses (Acts 1:8), prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11), workers together with God (2 Cor. 6:1), and servants of the church (2 Cor. 4:5).

Note 10 at 2 Cor. 3:6: Paul is now distinguishing the old covenant from the new covenant by contrasting the words "letter" and "spirit," "life" and "death"[i.e. killeth].

The law was a single complete system that demanded perfect obedience to all it's percepts. To be justified by the law a person must keep all the law all the time or come under a curse (Dt. 27:26; Gal. 3:10; Jas. 2:10-11). The effects of the law upon those seeking to be justified by it are: it stirs up sin (Rom. 7:5, 9), strengthens sin (1 Cor. 15:56; Rom. 6:14), produces transgression (Rom. 4:15), also wrath (Rom. 4:15), causes condemnation (Rom. 8:1-3), and keeps us under Satan's dominion (Col. 2:14-16), it brings us into (Gal. 4:24-25), and produces death (v. 6).

The New Covenant, in contrast, is an everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20), a ministration of Spirit (v.v. 6, 8, 17-18), forgiveness (Mt. 26:28; Rom. 11:27; Heb. 8:12), righteousness (v. 9; 2 Cor. 5:21), glory (v.8, 10-11, 18), liberty (v. 17, Gal. 5:1), mercy (Heb. 8:12), life (v. 6, Rom. 8:2), grace (Rom. 3:24), faith (Rom. 10:6-10), truth (Jn. 14:6), reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18), justification (Rom. 5:1), and founded upon better promises (Heb. 8:6).

Therefore, the contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is very accurately depicted by the contrast between "life" and "death."