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2
Corinthians Chapter Three
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Minister that is
Full of Glory of the New Testament
A. The living letter of Christ (v.1-3);
1. The epistle of the apostle (v.1-2);
2. Written by the Spirit of the living
God on tablets o
the heart (v.3);
B. The minister of the New Testament (v.4-16);
1. Not of the letter but of the Spirit (v.4-6);
2. Be of more glory than the ministry of Moses
(v.7-11);
3. The veil is taken away (v.12-16);
C. Behold the glory of the Lord (v.17-18);
II.
Verse by Verse Commentary
2Cor. 3:1 “Do we begin again to
commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to
you or letters of commendation from you?”
YLT: “Do we begin again to recommend ourselves, except we
need, as some, letters of recommendation unto you, or from you?”
The Background: in the early church time, there were some false
apostles (see 11:13) who introduced themselves that they were apostles (see
Rev. 2:2) or cheated men everywhere and peddled the false knowledge (see 2:17).
And in order to prove the real apostleship of the apostles, the church had
indeed written epistles and let the apostles deliver them to churches in other
places (see Acts 15:23-32). Therefore, it was a tradition of writing epistles
among the churches at that time (see 1Cor. 16:3). The apostle Paul also
introduced the fellow workers to the churches everywhere (see
Literal
Meaning: “do we begin again to commend
ourselves?” Do we begin again
to approve ourselves? Probably, it was the answer of Paul to the slander of those who opposed him. They usually said
to believers in
“Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation
to you or letters of commendation from you?” “As some others”,
it satirized the false apostles that they brought epistles from other places to
the church in
“Epistles”, it is a kind of
sign, proof and foundation and also represents close relationship. However,
since man often boasts in countenance (see 5:12) and is not like God who look
upon the heart (1Sam. 16:7), man’s “epistle” is not completely reliable.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The best commending epistle of a Christian
is the fruit of his work and his life in the Lord, which excel the oral
recommendation of oneself and others.
2) If we want to know a believer, no matter
what he says or others say about him, we shall still see what he is and what he
does.
2Cor. 3:2 “You are our epistle written
in our hearts, known and read by all men;”
YLT: “our letter ye are, having been written in our hearts,
known and read by all men,”
Literal
Meaning: “you are our epistle”, “you” refers to believers in
“Written in our hearts”,
“our”, it is “your” in some hand-written
copy, and both of them have only slight difference in the original. If it is
“your hearts”, the meaning will be consistent with verse three. And if it is
“our hearts”, it is also right. Believers in
“Known and read by all men”, “all men” refers to
believers in all churches everywhere; Since Paul bears them in mind and say to
many everywhere, the spiritual things of believers in the church at Corinth are
known by all men.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) He who serves the Lord does not rely on
educational background, or qualifications, or recommendation of some famous
people to gain the trust of the churches and the saints, but relies on whether
those whom he serves have spiritual growth.
2) Believers are the fruit of the labor of the
Lord’s workers. Whatever a man shall sow, that also shall he reap. We can see
what the Lord’s workers have sown from the conditions of the general believers.
3) If there is lack of spiritual fellowship of
the Lord’s workers with believers they serve and both of them keep in apparent
relationship only, it proves that the Lord’s workers have failed to assume
taken their responsibilities perfectly.
4) The ministry of a God’s minister is proved
by the real provision of grace. He provides men with Christ’s life and leads
them to draw the free grace of Christ so as to prove God’s election and sending
on him.
2Cor. 3:3 “clearly you are an epistle
of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the
living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the
heart.”
YLT: “manifested that ye are a letter of Christ ministered by
us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in the
tablets of stone, but in fleshy tablets of the heart,”
Literal
Meaning: “clearly you are an epistle
of Christ”, “epistle
of Christ”, it has two
meanings: 1) Christ is the true author of this epistle, which is written by
Himself. 2) Christ is the content and nature of this epistle, which manifests
Christ.
“Ministered by us”, “us” refers to Paul and his fellow workers, who are
Christ’s vessels, through whom Christ writes this epistle. “Ministered”, believers in
“Written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God”, “ink”: it is
external and written. “The
Spirit of the living God”: it is the Holy
Spirit, internal and spiritual. The Holy Spirit inspires His servants to
testify and speak out Christ and also inspires those who hear the gospel to
open their hearts to receive Christ.
“Not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is,
of the heart”, “tablets of stone”, it represents the Old Testament (Ex.
31:18; 32:15-16); “tablets
of flesh”, it represents the
New Testament (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10)
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) All Christians should be the “epistles of
Christ”. And all the nature of Christ is written on the tablets of the hearts
of Christians, from whom men will know Christ in them.
2) The graduates are the advertisement of their
alma mater. And the children are the signboard of the parents. Christians are
the epistle of Christ to the world. The epistle itself cannot open its mouth to
speak, but is read by others. Likewise, believers shall also let men see Christ
from them.
3) The Holy Spirit in our spirit makes us “the
epistle of Christ” so that men will know the will of Christ after reading it.
How wonderful! Are we willing to let the Spirit write in us? Can we manifest
the will of Christ to men?
4) Our life is like an epistle, an unfinished
epistle, which will be continually written by Christ unto the end. We should be
patient to let the Spirit write His words on the tablets of our hearts. Though
it is painfully to be engraved, men will read the message of life from the
marks or lines. Therefore, we should commit ourselves unto the Lord and let Him
fulfill His works and affix His seal in us so that we are worthy of being
called “the epistle of Christ” wherever we go.
5) God shall manifest His works on the vessels
chosen by Him. Whether the people can know Christ or how much they know is
totally depended on us, for we are the epistle of Christ, the channel through
whom God shall manifest Him as well as the vessel by whom men shall know
Christ.
6) Since we have the responsibility of
preaching God to men and bringing men to God, we firstly need the works of the
Spirit on us. We are the paper and the Spirit is the pen and what is written is
Christ. We are a piece of empty paper before manifesting Christ, so we need the
works of the Spirit on us. It is not man, but the Holy Spirit that writes on
the paper. And the Spirit does not write once but always, until the paper is
fully written. That is to say, the Spirit has been fully filled in us and we
are fully of the works of the Spirit, and thus we are full of Christ.
7) The Spirit also works through the workers of
the Lord. The Lord’s workers need to be filled with Christ first and then they
can provide Christ who are in them to others and write Christ on the tablets of
the hearts of others so that they will be a living letter of Christ.
8) The normal ministers in the New Testament
always write Christ they have experienced into believers whom they serve so
that they can also experience this Christ.
9) The Spirit of the living God is the living
God Himself, for He has the constitution and nature of God. When this Spirit
works and anoints in believers, the constitution and nature of God are more
anointed into believers so that believers will more manifest God Himself, that
is, God has been manifested in flesh (1Tim. 3:16).
10) Those who are used by God are those who are
freely directed by the Spirit. If the Spirit can not work freely on someone, he
cannot be the suitable vessel on the hands of God.
11) The Lord’s workers should not teach
believers about service in appearance or words only, but shall rely on the work
of God’s Spirit and write Christ and the constitution of His life more in the
spirit of believers so that they will grow in spirit and manifest the image of
Christ.
12) Our heart, including conscience, mind,
emotion and will, is the main place in which the Spirit of the living God
works, for if God wants to change a man, He must firstly change his heart.
13) God pleases men to pay attention to the real
growth in men (“on
tablets of flesh”) rather than the
apparent works (“on
tablets of stone”).
2Cor. 3:4 “And we have such trust
through Christ toward God.”
YLT: “and such trust we have through the Christ toward God,”
Literal
Meaning: “and we …through Christ”, it indicates that Christ
is the leader and completer of our faith (Heb. 12:2), and our faith is of Him
and from Him.
“Have such trust … toward God”, “such trust”,
it means “confidence” in service in the original rather than the faith in God.
Paul has great “confidence” that he, as the minister of the New Testament, will
make them “an epistle of Christ” (see v.3) through the works of God’s Spirit on
the tablets of their hearts.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The real workers of the Lord should have
great confidence in the nature and effect of their works, just like Paul’s
“confidence” (see 1:15; 8:22; Eph. 3:12). Otherwise, the works they have done
may not be of God.
2) Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Rom.
14:23).
2Cor. 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency
is from God,”
YLT: “not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think
anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency of God,”
Literal
Meaning: “not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves”, “of ourselves”, of our capability and power; Paul
confesses that he is not sufficient of himself to fulfill any service.
“But our sufficiency”,
it refers to the power that makes him
fulfill his ministry.
“Is from God”,
it is of the gracious gift of God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We are totally insufficient of ourselves. We can neither overcome the devil, nor be
delivered from sins, nor read the Scriptures, nor understand spiritual things.
However, we can do all of them through the grace of God.
2) God is the source of the power that enables
us to serve. If God does not work, no one is worthy of serving Him. Therefore,
on one can serve God by his will in the church. Instead, it is God that
entrusts the responsibility to us (see 1Cor. 9:17), so we have to do
voluntarily.
3) It is of the living God Himself that the
Lord’s workers are sufficient to serve Him. Whoever He has chosen, He will
perfect him unto the end. What is most important is that we shall cooperate
with God and amen all the guidance of God on us.
4) Today, we often want to be noticed by men in
service. What we are concerned about is the views of others upon us. We care
much for the achievements of our works and the opinions of others upon our
works. Actually, what is really important is that whether our “sufficiency” is
of God. If it is not of God, everything will of vanity.
2Cor. 3:6 “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.”
YLT: “who also made us sufficient ministrants of a new
covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the
spirit doth make alive.”
Literal
Meaning: “who also made us sufficient
as ministers of the new covenant”, “ministers” refer to those who serve, namely, deacons
or servants; “Ministers
of the new covenant”: workers who serve
the Lord according to the principles of the New Testament;
“Not of the letter but of the Spirit”, “letter” refers to the external
regulation, namely, the rules of the law; “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit,
namely, the Spirit of the living God (see v.3). The Spirit enters into
believers with the power of God so as to make believers sufficient as ministers of the new
covenant.
“For the letter kills”,
“letter” here represents the Old Testament,
for it is filled with rules in the Old Testament that should be kept and yet
men cannot keep. Therefore, the letter finally leads men into death (
“But the Spirit gives life”, “the Spirit” represents the New Testament. Only
the Spirit can give men spiritual rebirth (see John 3:4-6) and lead men to life
eternal.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Service in the New Testament should not be
held in external regulation, but be according to the guidance of the Spirit.
Keeping the dead letter makes men rigid. And following the Spirit makes men
living.
2) When we read the scriptures, we shall not
only read the apparent meaning of the letter, but also find the spirit in the
letter. That is to say, we shall seek the will of God that He shall reveal to
us through the scriptures.
3) Though there is a lot of truth,
commandments, encouragement and teachings in the scriptures that are of God,
holy and spiritual and are able to control man’s deeds and affect man’s
morality, all of them will still become dead “letter” without the power of the
Spirit.
4) The Lord Jesus says, “It is the Spirit which
quickens, the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). No one can quicken men,
except for the Spirit. The life of God is in the Spirit. Even the physical
world, the Spirit of God was “hovering over” the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2).
Besides, the Lord Jesus was incarnated and came into the world through the
Spirit. All that gives life and quickens are of the Spirit. In other words, if
all the works, prayers and pursuit of the truth are not worked or produced by
the power of Spirit in us, they are all dead.
5) Now, Christ has become a quickening spirit
(1Cor. 15:46) as well as “the spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2). The more believers
follow the Spirit, the more they will receive life and peace (
2Cor. 3:7 “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,”
YLT: “and if the ministration of the death, in letters,
engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to
look stedfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face -- which
was being made useless,”
Literal
Meaning: “but if the ministry of death, written and engraved
on stones”, “written and engraved on stones”, when Moses inherited the law, God
wrote it on the tables of stone (Ex. 34:1). Therefore, there are two
characteristics of the Old Testament: one is of the letter, and the other is
engraved on the physical stones. However, it is the Spirit of God that gives
his laws into men’s mind in the New Testament (Heb. 8:10).
“The ministry of death”, no one can perfectly keep the law. And whoever
shall keep the whole law and shall offend in one, he has come under the guilt
of all (James 2:10). The letter of the law kills (see v.6;
“Was glorious, so that the children of
“Which glory was passing away”, it is not mentioned in the Old Testament that
when the glory shone upon the face of Moses was passing away. However, we can
know from this verse that such glory was not eternal, but was passing away.
Therefore, we can know that the glory of the ministry of the Old Testament is
temporary, for it is external physical glory.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Our service carries some glory to some
extent, no matter it is external or internal, or it is of the letter or of the
spirit. Any service in the Lord has its value, so one should not give himself
up as hopeless.
2) The external glory will pass away. And only
the glory that is fully immersed within will endure forever.
2Cor. 3:8 “how will the ministry of
the Spirit not be more glorious?”
YLT: “how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in
glory?”
Literal
Meaning: “how will the ministry of the
Spirit”, “the ministry of the Spirit”, it shows that the characteristic of the
ministry of the New Testament is spiritual, for the ministry of the New
Testament is fulfilled through the Spirit (see v.5) and is written on the
tablets of men’s hearts by the Spirit of the living God (see v.3).
“Not be more glorious”? “More glorious”,
the degree of the glory and its permanence are more excellent, for it is
internally spiritual of the New Testament and yet externally physical of the
Old Testament.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Moses brought the children of
2) Service and help to men in spirit are more
excellent than that in materials or letter. Therefore, we shall pay more
attention to the former than the latter, and yet not ignore the latter, for it
is still necessary.
2Cor. 3:9 “For if the ministry of
condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in
glory.”
YLT: “for if the ministration of the condemnation glory, much
more doth the ministration of the righteousness abound in glory;”
Literal
Meaning: “for if the ministry of
condemnation had glory”, the service in the Old Testament is to regulate the
people of God through the law. However, since men cannot keep the whole law,
they are condemned by the law. Therefore, the ministry of the Old Testament is the
“ministry of condemnation”.
“The ministry of
righteousness exceeds much more in glory”, the service in the New Testament is
to bring men to receive the grace of justification by faith, without works of
law (
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Old Testament brings about condemnation
that makes men die (Rom. 5:13, 18, 20-21). And the New Testament brings about
the righteousness of God that gives life to men (Rom. 5:18, 21).
2) Justification is better than condemnation.
The provision of life is better than condemnation. And bringing men into the
realm of the righteousness of life is far better than restricting them into the
ordinances of “not handling, not tasting, or not touching” (Col. 2:21).
2Cor. 3:10 “For even what was made
glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.”
YLT: “for also even that which hath been glorious, hath not
been glorious -- in this respect, because of the superior glory;”
Literal
Meaning: “for even what was made
glorious”, the ministry
under the law of the Old Testament was still glorious to a certain degree.
“Had no glory in this respect because
of the glory that excels”, “the glory that excels”, it is the value of the spiritual ministry
of the New Testament. The glory of the Old Testament and the New Testament is
like the fluorescent light and the sunlight, and so the former one has no
glory.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Though the light source of both of the glory
is God Himself, the external glory can still not be mentioned with the internal
glory in the same breath, just as that the glory of the ministry of the Old
Testament and that of the ministry of the New Testament cannot be mentioned in
the same breath.
2)
There is the
heavenly glory and the earthly glory, and both of them are different. One sun's glory, and
another moon's glory, and another stars' glory; for star differs from star in
glory (see 1Cor. 15:40-41). We should always seek the excellent glory instead
of satisfying with the dim glory.
2Cor. 3:11 “For if what is passing away
was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.”
YLT: “for if that which is being made useless through glory,
much more that which is remaining in glory.”
Literal
Meaning: “for if what is passing away
was glorious”, “what
is passing away”, it means that the
ministry of the Old Testament is passing away and God does not want men to
serve Him according to the ordinances or rules of the law.
“What remains is much more glorious”, “what remains”, it indicates that the ministry
of the New Testament abides forever and God desires His children to serve Him
according to the principles of the New Testament forever.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We believers are the light of the world. Let
our light shine before men, so that they may see our upright works, and glorify
our Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 5:14-16).
2) We appear as lights in world to hold forth
word of life (Phil. 2:15).
2Cor. 3:12 “Therefore, since we have
such hope, we use great boldness of speech--”
YLT: “Having, then, such hope, we use much freedom of
speech,”
Literal
Meaning: “therefore, since we have
such hope”, “such
hope”: it means having hope of the nature of the
ministry of the New Testament ---- have excellent hope and remain for ever;
“We use great boldness of speech--”, it means that we boast of the ministry of the
New Testament and speak out the ministry freely with boldness everywhere,
without hiding our faces like Moses.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Hope has great relation with boldness. The
more hope we have, the more boldness we will have.
2) Those who are in the world despise the
spiritual works and the position of preachers, for they do not know the glory
of the spiritual ministry. However, those who know the Lord have great glorious
hope of the glory of the ministry. Therefore, they honor the ministry and speak
“with boldness”.
2Cor. 3:13 “unlike Moses, who put a
veil over his face so that the children of
YLT: “and not as Moses, who was putting a veil upon his own
face, for the sons of
Literal
Meaning: “unlike Moses, who put a
veil over his face”, according to the
Old Testament, Moses put a veil on his face because the
“So that the children of Israel could not look steadily at
the end of what was passing away”,
here, it seems that Paul thinks the reason why Moses put on his face a veil is
to let the children of Israel not look steadily at the passing away of the
glory on his face. “What
was passing away”, it refers to the
law of the Old Testament, whose end is like the passing away of the glory on
the face of Moses. The law is disannulled by God and becomes unprofitable (see
Heb. 7:18). Therefore, the ministry of the Old Testament is passing away.
2Cor. 3:14 “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.”
YLT: “but their minds were hardened, for unto this day the
same veil at the reading of the Old Covenant doth remain unwithdrawn -- which
in Christ is being made useless --”
Meaning of Words: “mind”: thought, intellect, and perception;
“blind”: petrify, indurate, and harden as the stone;
Literal
Meaning: “but their minds
were blinded”, “their”, that of the children of
“For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the
reading of the Old Testament”, “the same veil”, here
Paul uses the veil put on the face of Moses to relate to the veil covering on
the eyes of the hearts of the Israel (see v.15).
“Because the veil is taken away in Christ”, “the veil”, it indicates that the misunderstandings,
persistence and prejudices of the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) One can find out the enlightenment in the
Scriptures when he reads in a sober and gentle mind.
2) If a profitable thing is misunderstood or
misused, it will become a harmful thing. If the spiritual truth, men or things
are improperly dealt with, they may profit us nothing. Therefore, we should not
judge by the objective conditions only, for we can use the objective conditions
properly with a right subjective mind.
2Cor. 3:15 “But even to this day, when
Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.”
YLT: “but till to-day, when Moses is read, a vail upon their
heart doth lie,”
Literal
Meaning: “but even to this day”, “this day” refers to the times of the New Testament.
“When Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart”, “Moses”, here it refers to the Pentateuch (John 5:47)
that represents the Old Scriptures. “They” refers to those who uphold the law
among the Jews whose hearts are hardened (see v.14). The eyes of their hearts
are blinded because of the
misunderstandings, persistence and prejudices of the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Even to this day, the veil is not only on
the hearts of those who are of the Judaism but also on that of many Christians.
2) Though reading the Bible is greatly
profitable to believers, if one has not forsaken his prejudices, the profit
will be lessened, for he is blinded by his minds and prejudices.
2Cor. 3:16 “Nevertheless when one turns
to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
YLT: “and whenever they may turn unto the Lord, the vail is
taken away.”
Literal
Meaning: “nevertheless when one turns
to the Lord”, “turns to the Lord”, turn to the Lord from the condition of
distracting from Him. It indicates that the children of
“The veil is taken away”, it means seeing the will of God clearly at once
without being blinded.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Whenever we have thoughts outside of the
Lord (no matter that is of the world, or of the religion), they will become the
veil that blinds us, making us unable to see the glory of the Lord. Therefore,
if we want to see the glory of the Lord, we shall remove the veil. And if we
want to remove the veil, we shall turn to the Lord.
2) The removal of the veil that blinds us does
not depend on dealing with one’s “external deeds”, but on turning to the Lord
of one’s “internal hearts” ---- turn one’s heart to the Lord.
3) When Christ was crucified on the cross, he
had made the veil pass away (see v.14;
4) There will be transformation definitely on
the one who has really turned his heart to the Lord, namely, “seeing” the Lord
---- there are no longer veils blinding our eyes of hearts. Why do we often
have no light, and not understand the Scriptures and not know the will of God?
Probably, it is because the veils of us have not been taken away, for our
hearts are entangled by many people or things and we still have many old
opinions or prejudices that have not been removed.
5) The growth of life is due to the effect of
the metabolism. Though everything in Christ is eternal (see v.11), if we
lingers about, the revelation in the past will become our veil that hinders us
from receiving new revelation. Therefore, we shall not stay in previous
experiences. Even thought it is the experience of being caught up to third
heaven, it may also become our veil.
6) Whatever our conditions are, the light of
God always shines upon us. However, if we turn our backs to Him, the light of
God can not shine upon our faces. If the veil of us has not been taken away, we
cannot see the light of God.
2Cor. 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit;
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
YLT: “And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the
Lord, there liberty;”
Literal
Meaning: “now the Lord is the Spirit”, “the Spirit”, it is the Spirit of the
living God, through which we fulfill the ministry of the New Testament (see
v.3). And it is also the Spirit that makes us sufficient as ministers of the
new covenant (see v.6). The Lord Jesus was incarnated, died and was risen. And
then, the Father gives us another Comforter, namely, the Spirit of truth, to be
with us and abide in us (see John 14:16-20). Therefore, the Lord is the Spirit
(see
“And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
The opposite meaning of “liberty” is to be bondmen that are bound and ruled.
Men are bondmen under the law and are bound and ruled by the law. However, the
Spirit of the Lord has set those who believe the Lord free in freedom (Gal.
5:1).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Since we have the Spirit of the Lord in us,
we need no longer the letter as the principles of our conduct, but shall follow
the inspiration and guidance of the Spirit of the Lord. The letter binds men,
and yet the Spirit sets men free in freedom.
2) The Spirit of the Lord is the Lord Himself.
Once we have the Lord, we have liberty. Such liberty is the liberty in spirit.
3) The biggest bondage of us is ourselves. The
more we pay attention to ourselves, the more we will be bound. When we forget
ourselves and turn our hearts to the Lord, we will experience the liberty given
by the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord abides in our spirits. We will be set
free from all bondage the moment we return to our spirits.
2Cor. 3:18 “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.”
YLT: “and we all, with unvailed face, the glory of the Lord
beholding in a mirror, to the same image are being transformed, from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Literal
Meaning: “but we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord”,
“we all”, it refers to all
believers in the New Covenant, namely, those who have turned their hearts to
the Lord (see v.16). Since we have turned our hearts to the Lord, we will not
be blinded any longer. Of course, we will behold the Lord’s glory with unveiled face.
“As in
a mirror”, “mirror” refers
to believers in the New Testament whose eyes of hearts are no longer blinded
with the veil.
“Are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory”, “the same image”, the image which is the manifestation of
the Lord’s life makes men know the nature and character of the Lord’s life.
“From glory to glory”, the effulgence of the
glory increases continually and changes to a deeper and deeper degree.
“Just as by the Spirit of the Lord”, the
above-mentioned transformation is on account of the work of the Lord’s Spirit.
The Lord’s Spirit, with the constitution and power of His life, works on us who
open to Him and increases the constitutions of His life in us by degrees so
that we shall have the
metabolic change and be transformed into His
image.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We are a mirror, and the function of the
mirror is the reflection of light. When we turn our hearts to the Lord and
behold the Lord, men will see the Lord on us. If we focus our hearts on
ourselves, men will see our “selves” on us.
2) The ultimate hope of Christians is “being transformed into the Lord’s image from glory to glory”. Therefore, we shall often draw near the
Lord with
unveiled face so that the glory
of the Lord will shine upon us and we will be increasingly transformed into the
image of the Lord through the Spirit of the Lord.
3) The way of “being transformed into the Lord’s image from glory to glory” lies in “beholding the
glory of the Lord with unveiled face”. The more we see the Lord, the more we
will be shone upon by the glory of the Lord and the more we will manifest the
glorious image of the Lord. The more we let the Spirit of the Lord work on us
freely, the swifter our growth and transformation will be.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Characteristics of the Ministry of the New
Covenant
A. The victory and effect of the ministry
(2:14-17);
B. The function and sufficiency of the ministry
(v.1-6);
C. The glory and excellence of the ministry
(v.7-11);
Two Things That
Makes the Ministers Rejoice
A. Those that they serve have become the epistle of
the ministers (v.1-3);
B. The principle of their service is the
New Covenant full of gory (v.4-18);
A True Minister of
the New Testament ---- the Apostle Paul
A. The proof of the minister of the New
Testament ---- the church in
B. The source of the minister of the New
Testament ---- the Spirit, not the letter (v.4-6);
C. The nature of the ministry of the minister
of the New Testament ---- give life, spiritual, righteous (v.6, 8-9);
D. The appearance of the ministry of the
minister of the New Testament ---- surpassing and eternal glory (v.8-11);
E. The attitudes of the minister of the New
Testament toward his ministry ---- have hope and use great boldness of speech (v.12);
F. The goal of the minister of the New
Testament ----
make believers be transformed into the image of the Lord (v.17-18);
The Reasons Why the
Ministry of the New Covenant is More Glorious than the Ministry of the Old
Covenant
A. It is of God, not ourselves (v.5) ---- it is
of the election of God, not one’s fleshly zeal; and it is through the grace of
God, not one’s fleshly effort;
B. It is through the Spirit, not the letter
(v.6) ---- it is according to the inspiration of the Spirit, not the rules of
the letter; it is providing the living spirit, not teaching the dead letter;
C. It is “the ministry of the Spirit”, not “the
ministry of death” (v.7-8) ---- it is through the Spirit, so it is of the
Spirit, not of the dead letter;
D. It is “the ministry of righteousness”, not
“the ministry of condemnation” (v.9) ---- the law in the Old Testament condemns
men’s sins, and yet the grace of the New Testament makes sinners in Christ
righteous;
E. It “remains” forever, and will not “pass
away” immediately (v.11) ---- so it has eternal value;
The Comparisons
between the Ministry of the New Covenant and the Ministry of the Old Covenant
A. The ministry of the Old Testament is through
the law of letter, and yet the ministry of the New Testament is through the
Spirit (v.6).
B. The ministry of the Old Testament kills, and
yet the ministry of the New Testament gives life (v.6).
C. The ministry of the Old Testament has glory,
and yet the ministry of the New Testament has more glory (v.7-8).
D. The ministry of the Old Testament is the
ministry of condemnation, and yet the ministry of the New Testament is the
ministry of righteousness (v.9-10).
E. The glory of the ministry of the Old
Testament was passing away, and yet the glory of the ministry of the New Testament
remains forever (v.11).
F. The ministry of the Old Testament can not
make men see the
end clearly, and yet the ministry of the New
Testament uses great boldness of speech on account of hope (v.12-13).
G. The ministry of the Old Testament has a veil
that makes men unable to see Christ clearly, and yet the ministry of the New
Testament can take away the veil so as to make men see Christ clearly
(v.14-16).
H. The ministry of the Old Testament makes men
bound without freedom, and yet the ministry of the New Testament sets men free
in freedom (v.17).
I. The ministry of the Old Testament makes men
unable to look
steadily at the glory, and yet
the ministry of the New Testament makes men behold the glory of the Lord with
unveiled face (v.18).
J. The ministry of the Old Testament was
supposed to bring men to Christ but actually profited nothing because of the
blindness of men’s hearts. However, the ministry of the New Testament makes men
receive Christ and be transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to
glory (v.18).