2 Corinthians 3:18

Transfigured into His very image

The Passion Translation: New Testament Chapter 3

18 We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus.a We are being transfiguredb into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another.c And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.d

2 Cor 3:18 Greeks told many stories of People who became "matamorphosed" or transformed toward divinity by contemplating divine things. The Dead Sea Scrolls spoke of the righteous reflecting divine splendor. But although Paul could be relating to his readers in such culturally relevant images (minus the divinization), the basis of his image is simply how Moses reflected God's glory even more plainly than Moses could (Ex. 33:20); thus, like Moses, they are transformed to reflect God's glory by the Spirit. On the "mirror" (NASB, NRSVV)

4:6. God spoke light into being at the first creation (Gen 1:3); he similarly could make the light of his glory shine in the hearts of those who saw greater glory than Moses had—the glory in Christ. In various Jewish traditions the light in Genesis 1:3 represented the light of God’s law, of the righteous or of God himself; cf. comment on John 1:4.

Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (2 Co 4:6). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.