2 Corinthians 3:12-18 says...
Today's verses are 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, which read,
v.12, 13 - Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
Yesterday Paul gave us and the Christians in the Corinthian church information about the old and new covenants. The old covenant revealed sin and also a coming Savior to deal with that sin. The old covenant pointed to a new covenant. The new covenant has come through the Savior Jesus Christ. The new covenant is greater than the old covenant. It has more glory, it abounds in glory, it surpasses in glory over the old covenant, and it remains in glory.
Therefore...having such a hope in a new covenant and all that it entails, Paul speaks boldly about it. Moses came down the mountain with a veil over his face after being in the presence of the Lord and obtaining the old covenant. The people could not see his face clearly and eventually the glory would fade. It would not last and the glory of the old covenant wasn't created to last. Paul comes with the new covenant that is not like Moses. It comes in glory that will never fade and it comes with glory that is not veiled.
v.14-16 - But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
This is such a beautiful picture of what happens at conversion. When a person answers the call of God to accept Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God by faith, the veil is lifted and they are able to see Jesus in and pointed to throughout the old covenant. If you have ever met a Messianic Jew, a Jew who has accepted Jesus as the Messiah, they can't stop talking about all the figures in the old covenant that are a "type" or "picture" of the Christ to come. The veil has been lifted and removed by Christ and in Christ.
I can't help but think of the secular song, "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone..." When I got my first set of glasses in 2nd grade, I came out of the eye doctor's office and exclaimed my dad that I could see that the trees had individual leaves on them. I couldn't see them before. God makes it possible for us to see Jesus as the fulfillment of the old covenant and Paul is boldly speaking of this One.
v.17, 18 - Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 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 from the Lord, the Spirit.
The God of the old covenant is the God of the new covenant and the God of it continuing effects. God is still giving liberty over sin through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is still removing the veil so we can see His glory and display His glory with our very lives. We are being transformed daily to be more and more Christ-like with our lives.
Paul is boldly telling the Christians in Corinth that this new covenant is so much greater than the old covenant. This boldness to tell others about Jesus is lacking in our day. His name was lacking in an address to a joint meeting of the house of Congress yesterday by a prominent religious leader of our world. Jesus wasn't even given credit for the words spoken by Him in the Golden Rule. That truly saddened me but it also made me look at how many times do I say His name to others in a given day?
"Lord, the new covenant is so much greater than the old because it was created by You to be that way. You also created us who believe in the faith given to us by You to be transformed to be so bold about You. Open our mouths and our lives to be an unveiled face of You to others so they can see the affects of the glory of God today. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.12, 13 - Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
Yesterday Paul gave us and the Christians in the Corinthian church information about the old and new covenants. The old covenant revealed sin and also a coming Savior to deal with that sin. The old covenant pointed to a new covenant. The new covenant has come through the Savior Jesus Christ. The new covenant is greater than the old covenant. It has more glory, it abounds in glory, it surpasses in glory over the old covenant, and it remains in glory.
Therefore...having such a hope in a new covenant and all that it entails, Paul speaks boldly about it. Moses came down the mountain with a veil over his face after being in the presence of the Lord and obtaining the old covenant. The people could not see his face clearly and eventually the glory would fade. It would not last and the glory of the old covenant wasn't created to last. Paul comes with the new covenant that is not like Moses. It comes in glory that will never fade and it comes with glory that is not veiled.
v.14-16 - But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
This is such a beautiful picture of what happens at conversion. When a person answers the call of God to accept Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God by faith, the veil is lifted and they are able to see Jesus in and pointed to throughout the old covenant. If you have ever met a Messianic Jew, a Jew who has accepted Jesus as the Messiah, they can't stop talking about all the figures in the old covenant that are a "type" or "picture" of the Christ to come. The veil has been lifted and removed by Christ and in Christ.
I can't help but think of the secular song, "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone..." When I got my first set of glasses in 2nd grade, I came out of the eye doctor's office and exclaimed my dad that I could see that the trees had individual leaves on them. I couldn't see them before. God makes it possible for us to see Jesus as the fulfillment of the old covenant and Paul is boldly speaking of this One.
v.17, 18 - Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 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 from the Lord, the Spirit.
The God of the old covenant is the God of the new covenant and the God of it continuing effects. God is still giving liberty over sin through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is still removing the veil so we can see His glory and display His glory with our very lives. We are being transformed daily to be more and more Christ-like with our lives.
Paul is boldly telling the Christians in Corinth that this new covenant is so much greater than the old covenant. This boldness to tell others about Jesus is lacking in our day. His name was lacking in an address to a joint meeting of the house of Congress yesterday by a prominent religious leader of our world. Jesus wasn't even given credit for the words spoken by Him in the Golden Rule. That truly saddened me but it also made me look at how many times do I say His name to others in a given day?
"Lord, the new covenant is so much greater than the old because it was created by You to be that way. You also created us who believe in the faith given to us by You to be transformed to be so bold about You. Open our mouths and our lives to be an unveiled face of You to others so they can see the affects of the glory of God today. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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