2 Corinthians 3
3
1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3You 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.
4Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The Greater Glory of the New Covenant
7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate#3:18 Or reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
2 Corinthians 3
3
1Are we starting to speak well of ourselves again? Or do we need to have some letter of recommendation for you, or from you, as some people do? 2You are our letter, written in our experience with you, that everybody reads and knows about. 3You demonstrate that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us; not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not written on stone slabs but in our living experience as human beings. 4We have total confidence before God through Christ.
5Not that we would consider ourselves able to do this on our own—it's God who gives us this capacity! 6He also gave us the ability to be ministers of a new agreement,#3:6. Or “covenant.” based not on the letter of the law, but on the spirit. The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life. 7However, the old way of relating to God, written in letters carved in stone, ended in death, even though it came with God's glory—so much so that the Israelites couldn't even bear to look at Moses' face because it shone so brightly, even though the glory was fading. 8If that was so, shouldn't the new way of relating to God in the Spirit come with even greater glory? 9If the old way that condemns us has glory, the new way that makes us right with God has so much more glory! 10For the old that was once glorious has no glory at all in comparison with the incredible glory of the new. 11If the old that is fading away had glory, the new that continues has so much more glory.
12Since we have such a confident hope, we are truly bold! 13We don't have to be like Moses, who had to put on a veil to cover his face so the Israelites wouldn't be dazzled by the glory, even though it was fading away. 14In spite of that, they had a hard, stubborn attitude. For right up until today when the old agreement is read, the same “veil”#3:14. In other words, they are not able to see clearly. remains. Only through Christ can it be removed. 15Even today, whenever the books of Moses are read, a veil covers their minds. 16But when they turn and accept the Lord, the veil is removed. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom. 18So all of us, with our faces unveiled, see and reflect the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. We are being transformed into the same mirror image, whose glory grows brighter and brighter. This is what the Lord the Spirit does.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com