2 Corinthians - Chapter 3

2 Corinthians 3.1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? 2 Corinthians 3.2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 2 Corinthians 3.3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. 2 Corinthians 3.4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 2 Corinthians 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 2 Corinthians 3.6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 2 Corinthians 3.7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 2 Corinthians 3.8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 2 Corinthians 3.9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 2 Corinthians 3.10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 2 Corinthians 3.11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 2 Corinthians 3.12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 2 Corinthians 3.13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 2 Corinthians 3.14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 2 Corinthians 3.15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 2 Corinthians 3.16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 2 Corinthians 3.17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3.18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians : Chapter 3

The New Covenant and the Ministry of the Spirit

Chapter 3 of the second letter to the Corinthians contrasts the old covenant with the new covenant. The apostle Paul clearly describes the ministry of the Spirit, thus revealing the depth of the spiritual transformation taking place within us. This powerful text presents believers as living letters of Christ and highlights the glory of the new covenant, which surpasses that of the old.

Chapter Key Themes

This chapter addresses essential themes such as:

Furthermore, Paul reinterprets the veil of Moses to explain how God's glory is manifested today, not through a law written on tablets of stone, but through the Spirit who dwells in us.

Five Enlightening Bible Passages

To deepen our understanding of the glorious principles of this chapter, consider the following passages:

Exodus 34:29-30

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, he did not know that his face shone from having spoken with the Lord. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses with his shining face and were afraid to approach him." This Old Testament account is directly referenced by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:7-13, where he contrasts the old covenant with the new.

Jeremiah 31:33

"This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord: "I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people." This prophetic verse is mentioned by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:3, emphasizing the new covenant written in our hearts.

Romans 8:2

"For through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death." This passage complements Paul's discussion of the life-giving Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3:6.

John 4:24

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth." This verse relates to Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 3:17, according to which "the Lord is the Spirit."

Romans 12:2

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may experience and prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God." This passage reflects the idea of ​​transformation evoked by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Meditating on these passages, we are encouraged to to live fully in the light of the new covenant, to embrace the freedom that the Spirit offers us and to allow ourselves to be transformed into the image of Christ.