2 Corinthians 3

Big idea: The rivals carried letters of recommendation, and Paul says his letter is the congregation itself — written on hearts rather than paper. That leads into the boldest comparison in the letter: Moses veiled his face, and the reason given is not that the glory was too much but that it was fading and he did not want that seen. What is being argued is not that the old was bad but that it was always temporary, and the passage is careful to call it glorious while it says so.

Chapter 3 ends with faces being changed. Chapter 4 says what that costs the person being changed.

3:1–6 — The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life

Letters of recommendation were the ordinary credential of a travelling teacher, and the rivals had them. Paul's answer is to point at the readers — you are the letter, and you are legible to everybody. Then the image is pushed until it reaches Jeremiah and Ezekiel: written with the Spirit, on hearts of flesh rather than tablets of stone.

¹ Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you? ² You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men, ³ being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh. ⁴ Such confidence we have through Christ toward God, ⁵ not that we are sufficient of ourselves to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

3:7–18 — From glory to glory

The argument is comparative and it never calls the old covenant inferior in kind — it calls it glorious four times while arguing that its glory was on its way out. The reading of Exodus 34 is the daring part: Moses veiled his face, and the reason supplied here is not to protect Israel from brightness but to keep them from watching it fade.

⁷ But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away, ⁸ won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory? ⁹ For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ¹⁰ For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses. ¹¹ For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. ¹² Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, ¹³ and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face so that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away. ¹⁵ But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ But whenever someone 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 seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).

← 2 Corinthians 2 · 2 Corinthians overview · 2 Corinthians 4 →