2 Corinthians 3
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Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
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Commentary
In this chapter, Paul is functioning as a pastor. He cares about them. I know how Paul feels because as a pastor who now teaches pastors, I can tell you that I love to hear from my former church members. I rejoice with them when I hear good news, and weep with them at other times. Our hearts are bound together even though I may not hear from them very often.
Paul contrasts his own ministry and that of Moses (2 Cor. 3:16) but ultimately it is the “ministry of the Spirit” that is “much more glorious” (vs. 8). In fact it was Moses who pointed forward to the present day through the “old covenant.” These are not two separate covenants, but rather what Moses taught was like a “veil” that was “removed and taken away by Christ.” In other words, the work and words of Moses pointed forward to Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah.
Michael W. Campbell
Associate Professor of Religion
Southwestern Adventist University
Keene, Texas USA
