SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 3
PAUL ADDRESSED TO THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH (vs. 1-5)
You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 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. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He 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 GLORY OF THE NEW COVENANT (vs. 7-18)
COMPARISON OF GLORY BY PAUL:
- The ministry that brought death which was engraved in letters on stone came with glory. But the ministry of the Spirit is even more glorious. (v. 7)
- The ministry that condemns men is glorious, but the ministry that brings righteousness is more glorious. (v. 9)
- What was fading away came with glory but the glory that last is much greater. (v. 11)
Today, the veil of Moses remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. The Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, when we 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.
THOUGHTS:
Paul showed his humility as he gave God the credit for all his accomplishments while the false teachers boasted of their own power and success. No one can claim to be adequate without God’s help. No one is competent to carry out the responsibilities of God’s calling in his own strength. Our natural talent is limited so we need the enabling of the Holy Spirit to give us the character and special strength.
Some legalists enticed the Corinthian believers to live by the law of Moses. Paul showed them the wonders of the new covenant (the Spirit) by comparing the law against the Spirit:
- The law only reveals sin but cannot renew the inner person. The Spirit can write a new version of His Word in your heart.
- The law kills but the Spirit gives grace that sustains life.
- The glory of the law will fade but the glory of God’s Spirit remains and grows more glorious.
- The law brings bondage but grace gives freedom.
Paul said that the old covenant had its glory but the new covenant is more glorious. The law condemned us and pointed us to Christ, but in the new covenant, the law and the promises are fulfilled. Christ has come and we can be made right with God by faith.