Remove the veil of glory! Corinthians 3

Paul writes to Christians/Saints/Holy Ones

What others need to read (see): V. 2-3

Humility: Sufficiency is from God, not ourselves.

2Corinthians 2:16, Paul asks, “Who is equal to such a task?” Who is competent?—it’s the same Greek word as in verses 5-6. Who is competent, qualified, worthy, good enough to represent Jesus, or do God’s work? The answer, Paul says, is “not me!” We are not competent in ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Not of Stone Tablets (Law) but of Spirit. Compare the Glory that was visible. v. 7-11

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.

Exodus 34: 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

That’s the story Paul uses here, but how does it show that the new surpasses the old? The Jews debated why Moses wore the veil, and many suggestions were made. One was that it was to prevent the Israelites from seeing that the radiance was fading. That’s the one Paul uses.

comparison

The old was external—the letters of the law written on the stone tablets. But the new is internal—the ministry of the Spirit in our hearts. The law could tell us what to do, but gave no power to do it. The Spirit writes God’s law on our hearts and gives us the desire and power to do it.

And this leads to a very important point: you can’t live under two covenants. The new supersedes the old. Many Christians live powerless and confused lives because they are trying to live under both covenants. Jesus was the end of the Law as a way of relating to God. Now we come to God through Jesus. He is the way to God, not keeping the Law.

Live with Unveiled faces. Let the glory shine. Let the Glory grow. Let the Glory be from the Spirit, not ourselves.

“Notice another phrase in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “beholding as in a mirror.” The verb translated “beholding” can also be translated “reflecting.” Which is the better rendering of the two? I understand Paul to mean beholding and reflecting. The passive and middle forms of the verb literally mean “to be mirrored.” So we behold the glory of God as if we are looking in a mirror. We look closely, examining carefully the glory we see. By doing so, we see God’s glory and out of necessity reflect it. Thus Paul uses the analogy of a mirror. We see it and reflect it as a mirror of God’s image.” preaching.com

2 Corinthians 3:18 (The Message)Eugene Peterson:

18 All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

We are unveiled before God—nothing between us and Him. We are open-faced before God, and we reflect His glory to those around us as we are transformed into His image. “Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” (Enduring Word.com)

The gospel—the new covenant—invites us into a face-to-face relationship with God. Nothing between us and God! And as you focus on Him, you gradually become more like Him, “transformed into His image in every increasing degrees of glory”—literally, “from glory to glory.” Your life gradually becomes brighter and more beautiful as God enters and you become like Him. What a vision! How many of you want that? Lets remove the veils and let the glory of God shine on us, be reflected from us and draw others to Him.

Examples of doing this: 1 Cor. 4:1 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Max Lucado poses this question: “How well do you know the following people and organizations? Jack Tinker and Partners? Doyle Dane Bernbach? BBDO? Foote, Cone, and Belding? J. Walter Thompson? How did you do? Chances are you don’t know anyone on that list; and, if not, they’re pleased. Advertising companies don’t exist to make names for themselves. Their purpose is to make a name for others. “While you’re probably not familiar with the companies, most likely you’re very familiar with their work: ‘Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.’ That’s the work of Jack Tinker and Partners for Alka-Seltzer in 1976. ‘We Try Harder’ was the slogan created for AVIS Rent-A-Car by Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1962. ‘M’m! M’m! Good!’ was the catchphrase designed for Campbell’s Soup by BBDO in 1935. Maybe you’ve never heard of Foote, Cone, and Belding; but I bet you have heard the mott ‘When you care enough to send the very best.’ Hallmark has used the line since 1934. You may not know the name J. Walter Thompson, but I guarantee you’ve hummed the jingle he wrote for Kellogg’s: ‘Snap, Crackle, Pop, Rice Krispies!’ We could learn a lot from these companies. What they do for their clients, we should do for Christ.” (Its not about me)

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.