06 March, 2011.
Study on 2 Corinthians Chapter 3.
This Comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit
KEEP THE TEMPLE CLEAN
We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ.
It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
He 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 old way, 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.
Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?
If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. (2 Corinthians 3:4-12 NLT)