In our passage this morning we find Paul using Moses as an example when he speaks of the glory of the old covenant. The giving of the commandments and the law was a glorious thing. No other nation had ever experienced such a relationship with the one true God. But Paul explains to us that the new covenant of grace is even more glorious than the old covenant of the law. We are no longer under the law and the condemnation that comes from breaking it. The law could not impute righteousness to anyone because no one was able to perfectly keep it. But the new covenant of grace through Christ---the one who was able to perfectly keep the law---is capable of imputing righteousness to all who believe.
"Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?" (2 Corinthians 3:7-8) In Exodus 34 we find that the face of Moses was radiant when he came down from Mount Sinai with the second set of stone tablets. The people were afraid to come near him, so he adopted the habit of wearing a veil over his face. At first he wore the veil to shield the people from the glory of God, then later he wore it so the people wouldn't realize that the glory was fading from his countenance.
So we find Paul saying, "Just being in the presence of the Lord and receiving the commandments written in stone caused the face of Moses to shine. But his face did not glow with this glory for the rest of his life. If the old covenant (which brings judgment on the one who breaks it) was glorious, how much more glorious is the new covenant of grace which gives life?"
"For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!" (2 Corinthians 3:10-11) The law was good. It taught men and women about the righteousness of God and about what He expects of human beings. But no one could perfectly obey it, so a sacrificial system was in place to provide atonement for sins. Now that Christ has come, the old covenant is done away with. He made the ultimate sacrifice, one which is capable of providing atonement for us once and for all. Under the old covenant the high priest had to enter the Most Holy Place once a year with the blood of an atoning sacrifice, but under the new covenant Christ has entered the Most Holy Place in heaven with His own blood to make an atoning sacrifice for us. The priests of the old covenant passed away one by one, but Christ our High Priest lives forever. Because He lives forever, the glory of His covenant lives forever. (see Hebrews 10)
"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away." (2 Corinthians 3:12-14) Paul says that some cannot accept that the glory of the old covenant is fading away, so just as Moses covered his face to prevent anyone from noticing that the radiance of his face was fading, they have put a veil over their hearts so they will not have to face up to the fading glory. He feels they are blinding themselves to the truth that the old covenant cannot do for them what they need it to do, and they are blinding themselves to the truth that the new covenant is more glorious than the old. He can say such a thing without insulting or talking down to anyone because the same veil was once over his own heart. He hated Christians so much that he intended to eradicate them from the earth. If anyone has ever had a veil over his heart, it was the Apostle Paul. But now the veil is gone and he clearly sees that the glory of the covenant of grace is far more radiant than the glory of the covenant of law. The covenant of mercy, by its very nature, is more glorious than the covenant that brings judgment. The Lord Himself says, "I desire mercy." (Hosea 6:6a) The Lord Himself says that the knowledge of Him is more important than all burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6b) In this one verse we see the contrast between the law and grace. The law demands that we make sacrifices of atonement. Grace says atonement has already been made for us. To receive this atonement is to know the Son, who is "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being". (Hebrews 1:3)
"Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, it is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:15-18) In Exodus 34 we learn that Moses removed the veil whenever he went into the presence of the Lord. He met with God, metaphorically speaking, face to face. In Christ we have the freedom in Christ to meet with God with unveiled faces. When God looks upon us He sees us as His family, for we look like His Son. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us so that we come into the Lord's presence not as lawbreakers awaiting judgment but as dearly loved children.
We also do not veil our faces among the people, as Moses did. The glory of Christ, which makes our faces radiant, never fades away. This is why Paul says in verse 12, "We are very bold." We must look like Christ not only to God the Father but to our fellow man. Those around us need to see the love of Christ in us. If they don't find anything attractive about Christians, they will not find anything attractive about Christ. Let us strive to be more and more like Him.
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