New Testament Commentary - 2 Corinthians 3

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 3 The gospel surpasses the law of Moses—Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
1 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 ^aepistle 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, ^awritten not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in ^btables of stone, but in ^cfleshy tables of the ^dheart.
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 ^asufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ^aministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the ^bspirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of ^adeath, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the ^bglory 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 ^aplainness of speech: 13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their ^aminds were ⁿblinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the ^creading of the old testament; which ^dvail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their ^aheart^a. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.	15^a when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart Just the reading of Moses and the Prophets of the Old Testament as do the Jews in their synagogues weekly does not reveal, it does not burst the vail over the mind and heart, that the old Law of Moses and the prophets did point and witness steadfastly of Christ and his coming. That vail remaineth except man does take it upon himself to excercise a test of planting the seed of faith in Christ within his heart. Then so turned unto the Lord, the vail shall be taken away and all will become plain and understood that the Old Testament does testify of Jehovah as Jesus Christ, the Lord, Redeemer and Creator of the world and the heavens thereof, that he is the very Messiah of God.
17 Now the Lord is ^athat Spirit: and where the ^bSpirit of the Lord is, there is ^cliberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a ^aglass the ^bglory of the Lord, are changed into the same ^cimage from ^dglory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.