2 Corinthians 3:7-18   Click here for Bible Verses

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 3:7-18.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 3:7-12 (NIV)
 Now 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, fading though it was,
 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
10  For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.
11  And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
12  Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

On verses 7-12:  What is Paul talking about in verse 7?  Paul is alluding to an incident from Exodus 34:29-35 where Moses carried two stone tablets containing God’s law (in particular, the Ten Commandments) to the people.  As Moses came down the mountain carrying God’s law, Moses’ face radiated with God’s glory so much so that the people were afraid and asked him to cover his face with a veil.

Paul recalls this incident as a way to say that the old covenant, represented by Moses and the Ten Commandments, was glorious even though it was temporary (v7, 11), performance-based, and brought death (v7) and condemnation (v9) to people.

Now why does Paul refer to the old covenant, represented by God’s law, as “the ministry that brought death” (v7)?  It’s because through God’s law the people became all the more aware of their sins and how far they fell short of God’s standards.  In this way, God’s law had the effect of bringing condemnation (“the ministry that condemns men” – v9).

Even so, Paul says that this old covenant was glorious.  Why?  It showed us how holy God is, how high God’s standards are, how sinful we are, and it prepared the way for the new covenant that Jesus would later establish.  But if this imperfect, performance-based old covenant was glorious, how much more glorious is the life-giving, Holy Spirit-bestowing, love-based new covenant that Jesus established.   Paul calls this new covenant “the ministry of the Spirit”, a ministry that enabled sinners like us to be righteous before God not because of the things we have done but because of what Jesus has done for us.  In this way, this new covenant “ministry of the Spirit” brings righteousness and is far more glorious than the old covenant law.  Because of this new covenant that God has introduced through Jesus Christ, we can now live our lives with bold hope (v12).

2 Corinthians 3:13-18 (NIV)
13  We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.
14  But 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.
15  Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
16  But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18  And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

On verses 13-18:  The old covenant was all about “If we obey God fully, then God will bless us fully”.   But since none of us has obeyed God fully, God’s presence and full blessing are always out of our reach.  In this way, the old covenant “brought death” (v7) and condemnation (v9) because it showed us how far away we are from God.

To this day, many people — both religious and non-religious — continue to live and think in an old covenant way.  It’s when we think that we can earn our way to heaven.  People who think in old covenant ways have yet to understand that we cannot reach God on our own.  That’s why Paul says, “But 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.” (v14)

The only antidote to old covenant thinking is faith in Jesus Christ.  It’s realizing that Jesus Christ has done on our behalf what we could never do on our own.  Praise God for sending Jesus Christ, who obeyed God fully on our behalf, and who on the cross for our sins.  Through Jesus and his death on the cross, God established a new covenant with us, one where we could have full access to God’s presence and His blessings, not because of our performance, but because of God’s mercy and grace toward us.   When we realize this, the veil of old covenant thinking (where it’s all about our performance) is taken away (v16) and we are set free by the Spirit to relate to God in a new way (v17) and to be transformed more and more to reflect God’s glory (v18).

Thank You, God, for establishing a new covenant with us, one where we don’t need to try to earn your love, acceptance and forgiveness; instead we can receive these as gifts which Your Son Jesus won on the cross for us.  May we never get caught in old covenant thinking.  Rather, may we live and see You with unveiled faces, reflecting Your glory more and more to the world around us.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!