God Speaks
Are we beginning to be like those false teachers of yours who must tell you all about themselves and bring long letters of recommendation with them? I think you hardly need someone’s letter to tell you about us, do you? And we don’t need a recommendation from you, either! 2 The only letter I need is you yourselves! By looking at the good change in your hearts, everyone can see that we have done a good work among you. 3 They can see that you are a letter from Christ, written by us. It is not a letter written with pen and ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; not one carved on stone, but in human hearts.
4 We dare to say these good things about ourselves only because of our great trust in God through Christ, that he will help us to be true to what we say, 5 and not because we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success comes from God. 6 He is the one who has helped us tell others about his new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life.
7 Yet that old system of law that led to death began with such glory that people could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For as he gave them God’s law to obey, his face shone out with the very glory of God—though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shall we not expect far greater glory in these days when the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the plan that leads to doom was glorious, much more glorious is the plan that makes men right with God. 10 In fact, that first glory as it shone from Moses’ face is worth nothing at all in comparison with the overwhelming glory of the new agreement. 11 So if the old system that faded into nothing was full of heavenly glory, the glory of God’s new plan for our salvation is certainly far greater, for it is eternal.
12 Since we know that this new glory will never go away, we can preach with great boldness, 13 and not as Moses did, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelis could not see the glory fade away.
14 Not only Moses’ face was veiled, but his people’s minds and understanding were veiled and blinded too. Even now when the Scripture is read it seems as though Jewish hearts and minds are covered by a thick veil, because they cannot see and understand the real meaning of the Scriptures. For this veil of misunderstanding can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings their hearts are blind and they think that obeying the Ten Commandments is the way to be saved.
16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord from his sins, then the veil is taken away. 17 The Lord is the Spirit who gives them life, and where he is there is freedom from trying to be saved by keeping the laws of God. 18 But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: In this chapter the Apostle Paul begins to address their questioning of the authenticity of his apostleship. He began by asking if he would need to present a letter of recommendation, and if so, he said that their changed lives in Christ were all the references he needed. Paul’s source of confidence and competence was not himself or his abilities. His source of power and authority was the power of the Holy Spirit exercising the authority of Jesus Christ the Son of God in and through him and them. If the glory of God in the old Mosaic law shone on Moses’ face, how much more should the glory of the new covenant (everlasting agreement) in Jesus Christ shine forth in the lives of those He has saved by faith in Him? Moses wore a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not see that the glorious glow was fading away. Indeed, a barrier still exists in the minds and hearts of those who think that they can be right with God by trying to keep the Ten Commandments or other rules and laws. They can’t understand the Scriptures, and some people have even given up trying. Instead, they rail against it, calling what God calls good evil and what is truly evil good. This misconception of the truth can only be corrected by turning in faith to Christ for rescue from sin. Those who do so are set free and given a new life by the Holy Spirit. As Christ’s rescued ones, they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to truly shine forth the glory of the Lord. They increasingly become more and more like Him.
Prayer: Dear awesome God who is the origin of all power and authority, thank You for delegating that authority to leaders like Paul. Thank You for being my source of confidence and competence. Nothing in me could result in the changed lives of people like those in Corinth. I declare my need for the power of the Holy Spirit to exercise the authority of Christ Jesus to rescue and change me and use me to help others turn to You. For too long I have tried to hide my faults and failures behind a veil of religious activity. I didn’t want people to see how weak I really was as I drifted apart from You. With what little faith I have, I turn back to You. Please, Jesus, take all my sins (awful as they are) and wash me with Your blood. Set me free from sin, self, and Satan. Please give me a whole new life filled with Your brightness and rightness. Please cause all the evidence of the Holy Spirit to shine out from me for all to see and praise You. I want to be increasingly more and more like Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will tell my pastor or a mature Christian friend about the prayer above and my surrender to the Lord.
- I will talk with a not-yet Christian about the prayer above and ask them if they would like to do the same.
- I will make a list of the characteristics of God that Holy Spirit will develop in me and cooperate with Him in bringing it to reality.
- I will make a list of hurts, hang ups, and habits that God has rescued me from and cooperate with Him as He helps me stay free.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.