2Co 3:1-2, 1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
Letters of commendation are significant, they a test that the person who holds them is qualified and credible having proven themselves. The Apostle Paul consistently faced opposition from church to church by those who travelled to meet and discredit his ministry. These people prided themselves to have letters of commendation and unlike Paul. They did not consider him as one that had walked with Jesus and commissioned by Jesus therefore needed to be validated by others like Peter. When they challenged him to furnish such letters, he responded that the lives and testimonies of those whom he had won for God were all the credentials he needed.
Every Christian should be a clearly written and legible epistle, circulating for the glory of God. What we say will not be our commendation but what we do impacting others. To pride ourselves in what we know, or credentialed but not living it out is just another dead faith. James says, “…Faith without works is dead also” (Jam 2:26).