2 Corinthians 3
2 Corinthians 3:1-18
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.
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.
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.
Rather than needing written letters of recommendation to validate the legitimacy of their message, Paul leans heavily on transformed lives as verification. The old written representation of God’s will had been known for the glory that came from its scrolls. This new covenant, though, far exceeds the impact of that glory as it rarely made its way into veiled hearts. Instead of effecting change through condemning directives, the Spirit guides into greater and greater levels of transformation with each exposure to the glory of God. The work of the blood in turning a darkened and condemned heart into a liberated and righteous one is so far better than anything religion with its written restrictions could ever produce.
Where there is a true encounter with the glory of God, there will be an obvious actual change in a life transformed by it. Our stability and power will come through the Word as it imparts the truth by the Spirit, but the legitimacy of its revelation will always come with an undeniably transformed heart upon which its truth is written. What the Spirit produces in one true exposure far exceeds a lifetime of fearful dedication to an impossible written standard. Ours is an encounter opportunity that never terminates and never diminishes in its impacting glory. The Spirit removes all veils of the heart and produces a dramatic gloriously transformed life with each exposure. Into His image by the Spirit – no better recommendation.
Hallelujah! What an incredible plan! He invites us in unveiled, into relationship. As His love was and continues to be poured out and is pouring into us it transforms. What mercy and kindness to beckon us closer so that being in His presence is all we need, that when we let it affect us we are transformed, yes, we believe!
We have such trust in God through Christ!!!! This is something that I am declaring. Verse 4 talks about that we are not sufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiency comes from God.
Thank you, Jesus!
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