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3Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our[a] hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
4We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
The Glory of the New Covenant
7The old way,[b] with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
12Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
16But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Footnotes
- 3:2 Some manuscripts read your.
- 3:7 Or ministry; also in 3:8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
31 He desireth no other commendation, 3 than their continuing in the faith. 6 He is a minister not of the letter, but of the Spirit. 8 He showeth the difference of the Law, and the Gospel, 13 that the brightness of the Law doth rather dim the sight than lighten it: 18 But the Gospel doth make manifest God’s countenance unto us.
1Do we begin to praise ourselves again? or need we as some others, Epistles of recommendation unto you, or letters of recommendation from you?
2Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, which is understood and read of all men,
3In that ye are [a]manifest, to be the Epistle of Christ, [b]ministered by us, and written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the [c]living God, [d]not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.
4And such [e]trust have we through Christ to God:
5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think anything, as of ourselves: but our [f]sufficiency is of God,
6[g]Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the [h]letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.
7If then the ministration of death written with letters [i]and engraven in stones, was [j]glorious, so that the children of Israel could not behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance (which glory is gone away.)
8How shall not the [k]ministration of the Spirit be more glorious?
9For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, much more doth the ministration of [l]righteousness exceed in glory.
10For even that which was glorified, was not glorified in this point, that is, as touching the exceeding glory.
11For if that they should be [m]abolished, was glorious, much more shall that which remaineth be glorious.
12[n]Seeing then that we have such trust, we use great boldness of speech.
13(A)[o]And we are not as Moses, which put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look unto the [p]end of that which should be abolished.
14Therefore their minds are hardened: for until this day remaineth the same covering untaken away in the reading of the old Testament, which veil in Christ is put away.
15But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is laid over their hearts.
16Nevertheless when their heart shall be turned to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
17Now the [q]Lord is the (B)Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18[r]But we all behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord with open face, and are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 The Apostle frameth his speech wisely, that by little and little he may come from the commendation of the person, to the matter itself.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 Which I took pains to write as it were.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 By the way he setteth the virtue of God, against the ink wherewith Epistles are commonly written, to show that it was wrought by God.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 He alludeth by the way, to the comparison of the outward ministry of the Priesthood of Levi, with the ministry of the Gospel, and the Apostolic ministry, which he handleth afterward more fully.
- 2 Corinthians 3:4 This boldness we show, and thus gloriously may we boast of the worthiness and fruit of our ministry.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5 In that we are fit and meet to make other men partakers of so great a grace.
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 He amplifieth his ministry and his fellows: that is to say, the ministry of the Gospel, comparing it with the ministry of the Law, which he considereth in the person of Moses, by whom the Law was given: against whom he setteth Christ the author of the Gospel. Now this comparison is taken from the very substance of the ministry. The Law is as it were a writing of itself dead, and without efficacy: but the Gospel, or new covenant, is as it were the very virtue of God itself, in renewing, justifying, and saving men. The Law propoundeth death, accusing all men of unrighteousness: The Gospel offereth and giveth righteousness and life. The governance of the Law served for a time to the promise: The Gospel remaineth to the end of the world. Therefore what is the glory of that in comparison of the majesty of this?
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 Not of the Law, but of the Gospel.
- 2 Corinthians 3:7 Imprinted and engraven: so that by this place we may plainly perceive, that the Apostle speaketh not of the ceremonies of the Law, but even of the ten commandments.
- 2 Corinthians 3:7 This word Glory, betokeneth a brightness, and a majesty, which was bodily in Moses, but spiritually in Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 3:8 Whereby God offereth, yea and giveth the Spirit, not as a dead thing, but a quickening Spirit, working life.
- 2 Corinthians 3:9 To wit, of Christ, which being imputed to us as our own, we are not only not condemned, but also we are crowned as righteous.
- 2 Corinthians 3:11 The Law, yea, and the ten commandments themselves, together with Moses, is abolished, if we consider the ministry of Moses apart by itself.
- 2 Corinthians 3:12 He showeth wherein standeth this glory of the preaching of the Gospel, to wit, in that that it setteth forth plainly and evidently, that which the Law showeth darkly, for it sent them that heard it to be healed of Christ, which was to come, after it had wounded them.
- 2 Corinthians 3:13 He expoundeth by the way the allegory of Moses’ covering, which was a token of the darkness and weakness that is in men, which were rather dulled by the bright shining of the Law, then lightened, which covering was taken away by the coming of Christ, who lighteneth the hearts, and turneth them to the Lord, that we may be brought from the slavery of this blindness, and set in the liberty of the light, by the virtue of Christ’s Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:13 Into the very bottom of Moses’ ministry.
- 2 Corinthians 3:17 Christ is that spirit which taketh away that covering, by working in our hearts, whereunto also the Law itself called us, though in vain, because it speaketh to dead men, until the spirit quickeneth us.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 Going forwards in the allegory of the covering, he compareth the Gospel to a glass, which although it be most bright and sparkling, yet doth it not only not dazzle their eyes, which look in it, as the law doth, but also transformeth them with its beams, so that they also be partakers of the glory and shining of it, to lighten others: as Christ said unto his, You are the light of the world, whereas he himself was the only light. We are also commanded in another place, to shine as candles before the world, because we are partakers of God’s Spirit. But Paul speaketh here properly, of the ministers of the Gospel, as it appeareth both by that that goeth before, and that that cometh after, and that, setting them his own example and his fellows.
Cross references
- 2 Corinthians 3:13 : Exod. 34:34
- 2 Corinthians 3:17 : Job 4:14
Christ’s Epistle(A)
3Do (B)we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, (C)epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2(D)You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3clearly you are an epistle of Christ, (E)ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not (F)on tablets of stone but (G)on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
The Spirit, Not the Letter
4And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5(H)Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but (I)our sufficiency is from God, 6who also made us sufficient as (J)ministers of (K)the new covenant, not (L)of the letter but of the [a]Spirit; for (M)the letter kills, (N)but the Spirit gives life.
Glory of the New Covenant
7But if (O)the ministry of death, (P)written and engraved on stones, was glorious, (Q)so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8how will (R)the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry (S)of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
12Therefore, since we have such hope, (T)we use great boldness of speech— 13unlike Moses, (U)who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at (V)the end of what was passing away. 14But (W)their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16Nevertheless (X)when one turns to the Lord, (Y)the veil is taken away. 17Now (Z)the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is (AA)liberty. 18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding (AB)as in a mirror (AC)the glory of the Lord, (AD)are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [b]by the Spirit of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 Or spirit
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 Or from the Lord, the Spirit
Cross references
- 2 Corinthians 3:1 : cf. Jer. 31:31–34
- 2 Corinthians 3:1 : 2 Cor. 5:12; 10:12, 18; 12:11
- 2 Corinthians 3:1 : Acts 18:27
- 2 Corinthians 3:2 : 1 Cor. 9:2
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 : 1 Cor. 3:5
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 : Ex. 24:12; 31:18; 32:15; 2 Cor. 3:7
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 : Ps. 40:8
- 2 Corinthians 3:5 : [John 15:5]
- 2 Corinthians 3:5 : 1 Cor. 15:10
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 : 1 Cor. 3:5; Eph. 3:7
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 : Jer. 31:31; Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 : Rom. 2:27
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 : [Rom. 3:20]; Gal. 3:10
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 : John 6:63; Rom. 8:2
- 2 Corinthians 3:7 : Rom. 7:10
- 2 Corinthians 3:7 : Ex. 34:1; Deut. 10:1
- 2 Corinthians 3:7 : Ex. 34:29
- 2 Corinthians 3:8 : [Gal. 3:5]
- 2 Corinthians 3:9 : [Rom. 1:17; 3:21]
- 2 Corinthians 3:12 : Acts 4:13, 29; 2 Cor. 7:4; Eph. 6:19
- 2 Corinthians 3:13 : Ex. 34:33–35; 2 Cor. 3:7
- 2 Corinthians 3:13 : Rom. 10:4; [Gal. 3:23]
- 2 Corinthians 3:14 : Is. 6:10; 29:10; Acts 28:26; Rom. 11:7, 8; 2 Cor. 4:4
- 2 Corinthians 3:16 : Ex. 34:34; Rom. 11:23
- 2 Corinthians 3:16 : Is. 25:7
- 2 Corinthians 3:17 : [1 Cor. 15:45]
- 2 Corinthians 3:17 : John 8:32; Gal. 5:1, 13
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 : 1 Cor. 13:12
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 : [2 Cor. 4:4, 6]
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 : [Rom. 8:29, 30]
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
