2 Corinthians

The Corinthians, Paul’s Letter of Recommendation

Am I again boasting about myself? Or do I need to show you letters of recommendation like some do? Or should I ask you for those letters?

You are the letter. This letter is written on your inner self, yet everyone can read and understand it.

Yes, who could deny that you are Christ’s letter, written by us—a letter not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, carved not in stone tablets but in human hearts.

The Ministry of the New Covenant

Such is the confidence we have through Christ towards God.

As for us, we would not dare think that anything comes from us: our ability comes from God.

He has even allowed us to serve as ministers of a new covenant, no longer relying on a written text but on the Spirit. The written text kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The law carved on stones brought death; nevertheless, it was surrounded by glory, and we know that the Israelites could not look directly at the face of Moses, such was his radiance, even if fleeting.

How much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be!

If there is greatness in a ministry that used to condemn, how much more will there be in a ministry that brings holiness?

This is such a glorious thing that, by comparison, the former’s glory is insignificant.

That ministry was temporary and had only brief moments of glory, but ours endures with enduring glory.

Since we have such a great ambition, we are pretty confident—

unlike Moses, who covered his face with a veil. Otherwise, the Israelites would have seen his passing radiance fade.

They remained blind, however, even to this day, the same veil still prevents them from understanding the Old Covenant, and they do not realize that it is nullified in Christ.

To this day, whenever they read Moses, the veil remains over their understanding,

but for anyone who turns to the Lord, the veil will be taken away.

The Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

So, with unveiled faces, we all reflect the glory of the Lord as we are transformed into his likeness and experience more of his glory through the work of the Lord who is Spirit.