How glorious is the Spirit of God who resides in those who, by faith, believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Together in His unity and in His power all things are possible.
Christ within is the hope of glory!
2 Corinthians 3:7-18
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, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
12 Therefore, 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 unlifted 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. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 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.
Paul contrasts his ministry with the ministry of Moses. The law, as given by Moses, only brings death and condemnation. In contrast to God’s Spirit, the law was not capable of giving life.
Even though Moses’ ministry of the law was a ministry of death and condemnation, it was still accompanied by the glory of God. While God’s glory made Moses’ face radiant that glory did not last. The ministry that imparts the Holy Spirit (pneuma in Greek) stands in contrast to the ministry of death. The glory of this ministry is greater and longer lasting because of the Spirit’s presence within the believer. This ministry provides right standing before God. It not only removes the guilt of sin, it also empowers the believer to do what is right. Although God’s splendor shone on the face of Moses, it cannot compare to the splendor of the new covenant. The glory of the new covenant exceeds the glory of the old covenant.
Paul bases the boldness of his apostolic ministry in the permanence of the new covenant and the hope it provides in the resurrection of Jesus.
Moses covered his face with a veil because of the radiance of God’s glory. This veil represents the Jews’ hardened hearts and their inability to grasp the gospel message and refusal to obey God. Paul’s point is that the Lord of the old testament narrative mentioned is the Spirit of God. The Spirit’s role in lifting the veil is central to Paul’s message. The ministry of the Spirit brings freedom from the power of sin and death—those things that the law could not free people from.
Paul suggests that believers will progress through ever-greater degrees of glory (doxa in Greek). This may mean that they will learn and grow more in their relationship with Him over time. Alternatively, this progress may begin with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and culminate in the transformation of the physical body into a glorious one. Faithlife Bible.
The ministry of the Spirit is the ministry of life. The Holy Spirit produces eternal life. God declares righteous those who believe in His Son, and then the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to live righteously. This first work of God is called justification, and the second is called sanctification.
The New Covenant would supersede the old covenant established at Mt. Sinai between God and the nation of Israel. Paul used boldness of speech, a phrase that means “freedom of speech” or “frankness.” Instead of being fearful or reluctant, Paul was frank and courageous.
The Holy Spirit is God Himself, like the Father and like the Son. The Spirit gives us freedom from sin, death, and the condemnation of the law. All believers behold the glory of the Lord in the Scripture and are transformed into the image of God. Christ is the image of God. As believers behold the glory of God in the Word of God, the Spirit of God transforms them into the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is a description of the gradual process of sanctification. NKJ Bible.
Exodus 34:29 | Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
Exodus 34:35 | And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him
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