“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. 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, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
“For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
“Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—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. 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. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
“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 by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:6-18).
Paul is comparing his and the other followers of Christ’s ministry with the ministry of Moses. He is simply saying that the old covenant of the Law of Moses was wonderful news, not just for Israel but for the world. It was so wonderful when received, it changed Moses’ countenance. But now, there is even better news, and that is that there is now a new covenant, not of the “letter,” but of the “Spirit.”
C.I. Scofield comments that “The letter” is a Paulinism for the law, as “spirit” in these passages is his word for the relationships and powers of new life in Christ Jesus. Here in Ch. 3 is presented a series of contrasts of law and spirit, between the old covenant and the new. The contrast is not made between two methods of interpretation, literal and spiritual, but between two methods of divine dealing: one, through the law; the other, through the Holy Spirit.”
In other words, with those of that dispensation before the cross, the purpose of the Law was to show man he is a sinner and sin brings death. As Paul said in verse six, the letter (the Law) kills, but the Spirit gives life. It is easily seen when studying the Tabernacle, for instance, that the Law is also pointing the only way of being made right with God, and that is through Christ Jesus.
I’ve said all that to say this: as Moses’ appearance showed the glory of God, we have even more reason to show the glory of God in our appearance. Now, why is that? Remember … the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Those who are in Christ are no longer under the old covenant of the Law but under the new covenant of the Spirit. All made possible by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As Moses came down from the mountain, the people beheld the glory of God upon his face. For those of us who are born again in Jesus, do people see the glory of God on ours? Let’s read again Paul’s words in verses seven and eight in the New Living Translation (NLT).
“The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?”
If we fall short, how do we correct it? The answer is ridiculously simple. We spend time with Him in His Word and in prayer. The more time we spend in fellowship with Him, the more we behold His glory. The more we behold His glory, the more we become like Him. In other words, we take on His identity or personality.
The late Dr. J. Vernon McGee reiterates the story told by Nathaniel Hawthorne about the great stone face.
“A little lad lived in a village where there was a mountain with a rock formation, which they called the great stone face. The people had a legend that someday someone would come to the village who would look like the great stone face. He would do wonderful things for the village and be a means of great blessing. That story really took hold of the lad. During his lifetime, he would gaze at the great stone face at every opportunity that he had, and he would dream of the time someone looking like the great stone face would come to the village. Years passed, and as time went by, he became a young man, then an old man. He was tottering down the street one day when someone looked up and saw him coming and shouted, “He has come. The one who looks like the great stone face is here.” This man had looked at the great stone face for so long that now he bore its image.”
If we associate this story of the great stone face as Jesus, and ourselves as the old man who constantly beheld His glory, shouldn’t the request of that great old hymn, Let Others See Jesus in You, be fulfilled in us? Of course, it should.
After His resurrection, Jesus met up with two men on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
How do we behold the glory of God? We behold Him in the Scriptures. All throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, Jesus is there just as clearly as He is in the New Testament Scriptures.
Just a few examples:
- A thorough study of Moses’ Tabernacle will reveal Jesus throughout.
- Joseph is a type of Jesus.
- Moses is a type of Jesus.
- Psalm 22 and many other Psalms speak of Jesus.
- Jacob wrestled with Jesus.
- Abraham spoke with Jesus about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Jesus was in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
- Jesus created the world and all that is therein (Genesis 1:1).
- John says of Jesus in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
- We look upon Him all throughout His Word.
Have you ever noticed the phenomenon of a married couple, after many years of a loving marriage, looking like one another? They are two becoming as one.
“But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh” (Mark 10:6-8).
If we have been born again in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, we are one in Him, and He is in us through His Spirit. We are His body, and He is the head (Colossians 1:18). Everything about us should reflect Him to others as we behold His glory.
As I close, I would like to repeat the words of 2 Corinthians 3:7-8.
“The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?”
Search the Scriptures and behold the Glory of God.
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
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