2 Corinthians 3:12-16Therefore, 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 unlisted 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.
Notes:
Does the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ shine continuously in your life? Are there daily struggles to let Christ shine in your life or in some areas of your life? Does Christ or the Law covenant rule in your life? The Apostle Paul addresses a question back in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 saying,
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His Knowledge in every place. For we are to God, the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other, the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
In Paul’s salutation to God, he discloses to the church that God causes the Christians at all times, to triumph or have complete success at proclaiming God’s knowledge in the gospel in every place efficiently. In this effort, as we in Christ spread this knowledge, the aroma of the message is going to be welcomed by some and rejected by others. So the question is about whether or not I live and proclaim the knowledge of God sufficiently or with competency. In our own ability, no one is competent. The comparison in 2 Cor. 3, is between the Mosaic covenant and the Messianic covenant is concerning which covenant is sufficient to the accomplishment of God’s will in reference to Whose covenant person and works makes covenant receivers competent to spread the knowledge of God. It’s about Who and what makes for a sufficient life in this world and towards the ministry of eternal salvation and life.
Paul identifies himself with the saints at Corinth as the “aroma of Christ.” This aroma is significant for our efficiency in which the power of Christ is at work, which is well pleasing to God. It is as a sweet savor to Him. This aroma representation is important because many times in this life we can miss the true scope of what makes life meaningful and possible. As a receiver of the gospel message, when we spread this message then, we who do so are identified by our God as sweet smelling, pleasing or an appealing scent as we offer ourselves to Him and the works of the gospel.
This aroma of Christ is transvalued by the unbelieving, untrusting and uncovenanted world as “the smell of death meaning that Christ completed work of righteousness preached and lived out is condemnation to those who are corrupted through their unbelief of Christ work and offer of eternal life. It’s a stumbling block or an offense to them who reject His righteousness. This “spiritual odor, fragrance, smell,” is an essential and active redemptive message that causes division between those being saved and the perishing. In other words, what makes our new identity, life, thoughts, desires, feelings, choices and behaviors important is our covenant relationship with God through Christ. A matter of fact, since Paul is spreading the knowledge of Christ, his person and ministry is an aroma or fragrance of Christ person and work in him. But the problem that Paul is addressing with the saints at Corinth is the issue relating to God’s active and accomplishing promise for those who are now, double minded concerning God’s faithfulness. When it comes to God’s promises it’s not “yes and no” meaning God’s instruction in Christ through the apostles are not double-minded or wavering but are faithfully affirmed.
The promise of God isn’t according to the performance of law keeping because if that is true, then the promises of God would have to waver based on our performance changes. God’s promises operates outside of our performance and in alignment with His faithfulness alone. It’s a covenant work that in Christ involves the Spirit of the living God inscribing His promises and His words of truth on the hearts of believers and not law. So in light of this, Paul addresses the fallacies of false apostles concerning the legitimacy of his apostleship, by asking in 2 Corinthians 3:1, “Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or we need as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?” This question is raised because those who were opponents of Paul would challenge the legitimacy of his apostleship. Some of the saints at Corinth in which Paul taught were beginning to listen to others who sought to damage his reputation. Think about it. What if you had a strong and active relationship with your spouse, friends, your children of which it involved a lot of favorable experiences and some unknown persons introduced things contrary about the person that you have never seen or heard but start to wonder if it’s true. Paul is addressing this issue with the brothers and sisters that he previously led to their conversion. They already know Paul’s life. They’re wavering now about Paul’s authority. Now Paul has to refute their questions by reminding them of their past experiences and results obtained as proof of his apostleship (2 Cor. 3:2-6). He asked the saints who have known his way of life
“Do I need to give you an introductory letter from someone or Do I need an introductory letter from you to prove that I am sent to you by Christ?”
In other words, Paul wanted to know from the Corinthians if his Apostleship was “sufficient, competent, fitting” for them or not. He himself is confident about the source of his competence as a New Testament Apostle. Paul’s proof is that the hearts and lives of these saints are transformed and actively displayed in public as inscribed letters from Christ through the manuscript influence and work of Paul’s apostolic teaching done through the Agency of the Spirit of the living God.
Paul’s confidence concerning his competent office and work originates from God Who is the Competent One Who makes us in Christ competent as servants of the New Testament. Our ministry is one that is through the indwelling operation of the Holy Spirit, who as the theocratic Agent of God arouses and invigorates the new covenant teaching of Christ by spiritually inscribing it on the tablets of our hearts, that is “on a level surface of the mind treating it as a scroll. Paul’s opponents here want to uphold the old covenant as better than the new covenant system through Christ. Paul refuted their religious errors by making comparisons. He presents the argument that the old covenant is less glorious being characterized as a ministry of spiritual and eternal death of the soul from God, the Law on stones and not the indwelling Spirit in heart, teachers of divine blame rather than being regarded as just, that which was caused to end by that which is caused to transcend, 2 Cor. 3:7-11. His comparisons proves that the New Covenant is more excellent and competent than the Mosaic covenant because it is transcendent based on trusting God through Christ. In 2 Cor. 3:12, Paul states that since we are a part of a transcendent covenant in Christ then, we can take ownership of our continual expectation of eternal salvation and life through Christ and therefore, speak with much or intense freedom of exactness of speech.
This is qualitatively different from Moses. In observing Exodus 34:29-35, Moses was not immediately aware that after leaving God’s presence his face had a temporary radiance that the Israelites could notice and were afraid. It’s the sign that Moses was able to approach God’s presence unveiled but veiled before the people of Israel because of their stubbornness. He gave the Israelites the words of the Lord and then placed the veil on his face because they were spiritually frail and stiff-necked people. In this case, Paul is dealing with Christians who are being influenced to be stiff-necked against Christ, Apostolic authority, the New Covenant and refuting them in order to discourage the obdurate Judaistic influence of Israel from fixing their eyes continually on Moses. Paul is trying to unveil them by gospel reasoning. Paul points to this to show that the apostolic ministry is superior to Mosaic ministry in that, the message of the New Covenant is imperishable in its glory because Jesus Christ is God’s instrument of His gift of righteousness. Christ redeeming work is the permanent radiance of the New Covenant of which the Church operates. The New Covenant church is to precede forth freely in bold ministry without veiled hearts in the permanent radiance that is in Christ through the operation of the Holy Spirit to address and refute Satanic and cosmic errors that sets itself up against Christ in every age. The reason for this is because them that lacks trust in Christ are blinded by the devil, that is, Satan himself. They veiled (covered) their own minds so that they can’t comprehend the Christ covenant because they hold higher esteem to the abolished or temporary covenant system.
As some of the Jews continue to read publicly the O. T. their interest in that system ruled their heart so that Christ can’t be received by them 2 Cor. 3:15. The only way to change this condition is to “turn their mind to Christ,” 2 Cor. 3:16. The question of “who are competent for such things” in 2 Cor. 2:16, is answered by Paul from 2 Cor. 3:4, our new bold self confidence that we have come through Christ toward God Who is the real basis for Paul’s self confidence. This self confidence in Christ is further promoted by the indwelling and liberating Spirit of God as the agent operating in Christians in contrast to legal constraints, 2 Cor. 3:17. Because in Christ, the situation or circumstances that the Spirit of the Lord in us is involved in is producing in the Christian the state of being free from the legal system of covenant worship. In other words, free access to God in Christ, meaning, a free relationship experience, learning experience, worship experience, living and ministry experience, to receive the grace and faith to address my every need and the needs of others.
When we turn to the Lord, the indwelling Spirit of the Lord unveils our hearts before our Lord God and causes us to be transformed to shine like the glorious image of God in Christ. Because of this freedom, we can be unveiled in (vs. 18) meaning, willfully inclined to understand as we continue to contemplate the glory of Christ in the gospel as we are being transfigured into the restoration of the likeness of God through the life and ministry of Christ proclaimed. Paul says that “we of the New Covenant from unblinded mind, disposed to perceive the majesty of Christ, continually look at ourselves in the gospel mirror which reflects the glory of Christ that reproduces in us by the efficient authority of the shining image of God in Christ. As we continue to perceive the reflection of the gospel of Christ in us, as His image we also share the glorious gospel with others through the controlling influence of the Spirit of Christ as Possessor, Who is the divine Spirit, the Bearer and Imparting Agent of every application of the divine will to separate us in Christ from our past devotion to the sinful nature we used to practice and distinguish us from all unbelievers.
Observations:
- There is no Eternal Covenant without the glory of Christ as the Image of God, being God’s righteous offering for mankind.
- The New Covenant ministry is more excellent than the Old Covenant ministry, our competence to serve in any capacity comes from God.
- As a New Covenant believer God causes us at all times to be successful at becoming and
spreading the knowledge of God.
- In Christ ministry we become the knowledge of God through service as we are proclaiming it.
- In being a Christian our aroma must be pleasing to God, encouraging to them who are being saved and a warning of eternal death to them that refuse Christ message.
- The Christian’s transformed life is a engraved message from Christ to everyone.
- The Christian is made qualified for every covenant work through the Theocratic and personal Agency of the Holy Spirits directions engraved on their heart.
- Because of the work of Christ, Apostolic influence and the indwelling Spirit engraving His instructions and promises on the heart of Christian’s, their transformed lives makes them a letter of Gods knowledge to others.
- The radiance of the New Covenant in Christ can permanently shine through the life and message of the Christian as we let the Spirit of the Lord unveil our hearts through ourfaith in Christ.
- Since the veil is a belief that opposes the life and words of Christ, when we continue to pursue those forms of doctrine, it causes us to struggle in our reception, understanding and fruitfulness of the knowledge of God in Christ.
- Since we are responsible for the veil that’s on our hearts, that causes us to struggle in adherence to the word of Christ that pertains to our new life, it’s important to know that repentance will remove the errors of belief that oppose Him to unveil us.
- In turning our commitment to Christ we receive the indwelling Spirit of God who separates the flesh influences in us and liberating us by infusing in us gospel truths that transforms our life and mission.
Shepherd’s remarks:
This condition describes the inner state of the fruitful Christian because in them Christ is not veiled. The words of Christ that are revered, received, understood, retained and put into practice, are the result of Christ being unveiled and freed in the life and ministry of the Church. The Agency influence that is at work in the Church is not from secular education, political and government, scientists, etc., but the “Spirit of the Lord Himself.” He is the only one to qualify the Christian to live and speak the knowledge of God. This is what we were sent into the world to be and teach.
By: Gary Patton