The Covenant of Glory
—2Corinthians 3
In this chapter for study (2Corinthians 3), Paul wrote about the face of Moses that shone brightly when he came down from the mountain with the tablets of stone (Exodus 34:29-35).
Paul wrote about the veil that Moses put over his face when he spoke to the children of Israel. Paul compared the glory of Moses's face with the glory of the new covenant of Christ. The chapter is divided into eight sections for easier study.
1 The Letter of Christ
2Cor 3, Verses 1-3
Paul was no stranger to the church in Corinth. He had worked with that church from time to time since its beginning when he helped establish it. No wonder he objected to questioning of his credentials.
The church itself was a "letter" of sufficient recommendation written in the hearts of Paul and his fellow workers. What better recommendation could be offered than the transformed lives produced by the Holy Spirit and Christ? The church was:
- 1. a "letter" of Christ in the form of living and faithful Christians;
- 2. a letter visible for all to read;
- 3. a letter written by the Holy Spirit, not with ink;
- 4. a letter not written on tablets of stone, but (figuratively speaking) on human hearts of flesh.
That last one may seem a little odd but it was intended to move the focus away from personalities and fix it on that other "letter", the new covenant of Christ. Paul was leading into a lesson about the old and new covenants one written in tablets of stone, the other abiding in the heart.
2 Ministers of a New Covenant
2Cor 3, Verses 4-6
Paul and his companions were confidently trusting in God, believing that they were sufficiently equipped for the ministry of the new covenant. He knew that their sufficiency did not come from within themselves but from God who set them apart for the ministry, and made them ministers —not of words engraved in stone that result in spiritual death, but words of everlasting life that abide in the heart.
3 A Ministry of Righteousness
2Cor 3, Verses 7-9
Paul then began to compare the old covenant (the law on tablets of stone) with the new covenant (the gospel of Jesus Christ). Paul calls the old covenant the ministry of death and condemnation. He calls the new covenant the ministry of the Spirit and righteousness.
Paul acknowledged that the old covenant had glory. The face of Moses shone brilliantly as he came down from the mountain with the tablets of stone. However, that glory faded away, whereas the new covenant's glory was greater, and would not fade.
By calling the new covenant a ministry of righteousness, Paul was saying that this covenant could make people right with God. The Bible calls it "justification". We are made righteous (justified in the sight of God) only by the new covenant of Jesus Christ.
4 The Glory that Excels
2Cor 3, Verses 10-11
Getting back to the glory of the two covenants, Paul held that the old covenant had no glory in a sense, because its glory was overwhelmed by the light of the new covenant. It was like the moon shining in the night, but when the day comes, with brilliant sunshine, the moon surrenders its glory to the greater light.
5 Great Boldness of Speech
2Cor 3, Verses 12-13
Paul mentioned the veil that Moses put over his shining face after he had spoken to God, and then told the children of Israel what God had said. However, they could not bear the continual brightness of his face, so Moses covered his face with a veil until he next spoke with God.
Paul explained that Moses having to cover his glory signified that Israel’s minds were hardened and unable to perceive that the old covenant was temporary. It was destined to pass away and be replaced by a new covenant.
Moses covering his glory when he had spoken, stood in stark contrast to the preachers of the new covenant, who spoke with great boldness and brilliance, and let their light shine constantly.
6 A Veil on the Heart
2Cor 3, Verses 14-15
The hearts of the children of Israel were hardened when they beheld his shining face. Whenever they read the law of Moses their minds remained blinded, and a veil lay over their hearts. This was true even in Paul’s own day.
7 Liberty Where the Lord Is
2Cor 3, Verses 16-17
Paul’s gospel (the new covenant of Christ), provided the only way to lift off the veil from someone’s heart. That person had to turn to the Lord. Paul identified this Lord as the Holy Spirit of Christ, who grants liberty from the veil, and reveals the new covenant in all its glory.
8 The Face in a Mirror
2Cor 3, Verse 18
Paul finished the lesson with something we must not miss. Not only were the spiritual faces of the Corinthian Christians unveiled by the Lord, but their spiritual hearts shone with his glory. If they were to look in God’s mirror, they would behold the glory of Christ and see themselves transformed into His likeness.
Paul was using powerful figurative language regarding the glory of the new covenant, which was no less than the glory of the Lord. This glory was extended to more and more people as the new covenant was being preached.