2 Corinthians 3:1-18 - The Veil is Lifted!

2 Corinthians 3:1-18

Christ’s Epistle (cf. Jer. 31:31–34)

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; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The Spirit, Not the Letter

4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Glory of the New Covenant

7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one 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 liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are all letters written by God to one another of His wonderful grace of deliverance from sin’s consequences, having been transferred from his wrath on our rebellious sin to intimate fellowship with Him in Christ with one another!  When we make disciples through the gospel and teach them all things (Matthew 28:19-20), we are adding more stories of the grace of God in Jesus Christ to the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 13:8) whose names are already inscribed there on God’s heart.  Paul called these Corinthian believers his letter of commendation therefore because they reflected his work in the gospel to bring them into Christ and further into maturity in Him through teaching and preaching the scriptures for their spiritual understanding and edification.  He calls us all to do the same in varying degrees according to the gifts and callings given us (Ephesians 2:10) as prepared to be done for one another to His glory, honor, and praise.  These letters we help write are on inscribed people’s hearts by God’s Spirit and not in rote on stone tablets as the Law once was given to His people through Moses.  These are living epistles of God’s word on each heart that He has entered to seal as His own with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) giving spiritual awareness to the mind and love in the heart as a sign of His work and presence (John 13:35, 1 John 4:12, 16, 20) in a true believer we call ‘Christian.’   Yes, our sufficiency is from God and His work in us and not by what we earn by doing good, for the good we do has been planned and is our duty (Luke 17:10) as expected all along while we follow in our Master’s footsteps.  The letter of the Law in following rules to earn life (Galatians 3:10-12) only brings the curse of disobedience on us since we are utterly unable to keep every point (James 2:10); only trust in God’s work according to His word (John 6:29, 40) can deliver us and then we are enabled by His indwelling Spirit to obey that same Law now written on our hearts instead of mere rules of a checklist in our minds alone.  Such it the wonderful work of God in Christ in our deliverance and acceptance by faith!  The Law on cold stone that Moses brought as a precursor to this work of God in us faded with the glow of God’s temporary glory on the outside of Moses’s face to indicate the coming glory of imputed righteousness in Christ to us that can never fade or leave us.  The veil covering access to God’s glory in the holy of holies has been per and forever lifted from us to give unfettered access directly to the Father through Christ as our only Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5); no man or woman can meditate as our priest or “mediatrix” but Jesus Christ alone as the Son of God.  Turning to God in Him sets us free at last!  Then with no more face of God hidden from us (Hebrews 4:16) we find that He is daily transforming us in our sanctification by that same Spirit in us In ever increasing glory!  The veil is lifted.  What a wonderful gift God has given!