2 Corinthians 3
1 Do we begin again to recommend ourselves, except we need, as some, letters of recommendation to you, or from you?
Are we starting to speak well of ourselves again? Or do we need to have some letter of recommendation for you, or from you, as some people do?
2 You are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men,
You are our letter, written in our experience with you, that everybody reads and knows about.
3 revealed that you are a letter of Christ ministered by us, not written with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in the tablets of stone, but in fleshy tablets of the heart,
You demonstrate that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us; not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not written on stone slabs but in our living experience as human beings.
4 and such trust we have through the Christ toward God,
We have total confidence before God through Christ.
5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency [is] of God,
Not that we would consider ourselves able to do this on our own—it's God who gives us this capacity!
6 who also made us sufficient [to be] servants of the New Covenant, not of letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, and the Spirit makes alive.
He also gave us the ability to be ministers of a new agreement, based not on the letter of the law, but on the spirit. The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life.
7 And if the ministry of death, in letters, engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look steadfastly into the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face—which was being made useless,
However, the old way of relating to God, written in letters carved in stone, ended in death, even though it came with God's glory—so much so that the Israelites couldn't even bear to look at Moses' face because it shone so brightly, even though the glory was fading.
8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more in glory?
If that was so, shouldn't the new way of relating to God in the Spirit come with even greater glory?
9 For if the ministry of the condemnation [is] glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory;
If the old way that condemns us has glory, the new way that makes us right with God has so much more glory!
10 for also even that which has been glorious, has not been glorious—in this respect, because of the superior glory;
For the old that was once glorious has no glory at all in comparison with the incredible glory of the new.
11 for if that which is being made useless [is] through glory, much more that which is remaining [is] in glory.
If the old that is fading away had glory, the new that continues has so much more glory.
12 Having, then, such hope, we use much freedom of speech,
Since we have such a confident hope, we are truly bold!
13 and [are] not as Moses, who was putting a veil on his own face, for the sons of Israel not to look steadfastly into the end of that which is being made useless,
We don't have to be like Moses, who had to put on a veil to cover his face so the Israelites wouldn't be dazzled by the glory, even though it was fading away.
14 but their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil at the reading of the Old Covenant remains unwithdrawn—which in Christ is being made useless—
In spite of that, they had a hard, stubborn attitude. For right up until today when the old agreement is read, the same “veil” remains. Only through Christ can it be removed.
15 but until today, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart,
Even today, whenever the books of Moses are read, a veil covers their minds.
16 and whenever they may turn to the LORD, the veil is taken away.
But when they turn and accept the Lord, the veil is removed.
17 And the LORD is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the LORD [is], there [is] liberty;
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom.
18 and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the LORD in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.
So all of us, with our faces unveiled, see and reflect the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. We are being transformed into the same mirror image, whose glory grows brighter and brighter. This is what the Lord the Spirit does.
