2 Corinthians 3
1 Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
Are we starting to speak well of ourselves again? Or do we need to have some letter of recommendation for you, or from you, as some people do?
2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men,
You are our letter, written in our experience with you, that everybody reads and knows about.
3 being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.
You demonstrate that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us; not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not written on stone slabs but in our living experience as human beings.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God,
We have total confidence before God through Christ.
5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God,
Not that we would consider ourselves able to do this on our own—it's God who gives us this capacity!
6 who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
He also gave us the ability to be ministers of a new agreement, based not on the letter of the law, but on the spirit. The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life.
7 But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away,
However, the old way of relating to God, written in letters carved in stone, ended in death, even though it came with God's glory—so much so that the Israelites couldn't even bear to look at Moses' face because it shone so brightly, even though the glory was fading.
8 will not service of the Spirit be with much more glory?
If that was so, shouldn't the new way of relating to God in the Spirit come with even greater glory?
9 For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
If the old way that condemns us has glory, the new way that makes us right with God has so much more glory!
10 For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.
For the old that was once glorious has no glory at all in comparison with the incredible glory of the new.
11 For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
If the old that is fading away had glory, the new that continues has so much more glory.
12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,
Since we have such a confident hope, we are truly bold!
13 and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face so that the children of Israel would not look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.
We don't have to be like Moses, who had to put on a veil to cover his face so the Israelites wouldn't be dazzled by the glory, even though it was fading away.
14 But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.
In spite of that, they had a hard, stubborn attitude. For right up until today when the old agreement is read, the same “veil” remains. Only through Christ can it be removed.
15 But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
Even today, whenever the books of Moses are read, a veil covers their minds.
16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
But when they turn and accept the Lord, the veil is removed.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom.
18 But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
So all of us, with our faces unveiled, see and reflect the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. We are being transformed into the same mirror image, whose glory grows brighter and brighter. This is what the Lord the Spirit does.
