The
Glory Of The New Covenant
Are
we beginning to commend ourselves again?
Or
do we need, like some people,
Letters
of Recommendation to you or from you?
2
YOU YOURSELVES ARE OUR LETTER,
WRITTEN
ON OUR HEARTS,
KNOWN
AND READ BY EVERYBODY.
3
YOU SHOW THAT YOU ARE A LETTER FROM CHRIST,
THE
RESULT OF OUR MINISTRY,
WRITTEN
NOT WITH INK
BUT
WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD,
NOT
ON TABLETS OF STONE
BUT
ON TABLETS OF HUMAN HEARTS.
4
Such Confidence as this is ours
THROUGH
CHRIST BEFORE GOD.
5
Not that we are Confident to claim anything for ourselves,
BUT
OUR COMPETENCE COMES FROM GOD.
6
HE MADE US COMPETENT AS MINISTERS
OF
A NEW COVENANT--
NOT
OF THE LETTER BUT OF THE SPIRIT;
FOR
THE LETTER KILLS, BUT THE SPIRIT GIVE LIFE.
7
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, Fading though it was,
8
WILL NOT THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT
BE
EVEN MORE GLORIOUS?
9
If the Ministry that Condemns men is Glorious,
HOW
MUCH MORE GLORIOUS IS THE MINISTRY
THAT
BRING RIGHTEOUSNESS!
10
FOR WHAT WAS GLORIOUS
HAS
NO GLORY NOW IN COMPARISON
WITH
THE SURPASSING GLORY.
11
AND IF WHAT WAS FADING AWAY
CAME
WITH GLORY,
HOW
MUCH GREATER IS THE GLORY
OF
THAT WHICH LASTS!
12
THEREFORE, SINCE WE HAVE SUCH A HOPE,
WE
ARE VERY BOLD.
13
We are not like Moses,
Who
put a veil over his face
To
keep the Israelites from gazing at it
While
the Radiance as Fading away.
14
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.
15
EVEN TO THIS DAY WHEN MOSES IS READ,
A
VEIL COVERS THEIR HEARTS.
16
BUT WHENEVER ANYONE TURNS TO THE LORD,
THE
VEIL IS TAKEN AWAY.
17
NOW THE LORD IS THE SPIRIT,
AND
WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS,
THERE
IS FREEDOM.
18
AND WE, WHO WITH UNVEILED FACES
ALL
REFLECT THE LORD'S GLORY,
ARE
BEING TRANSFORMED INTO HIS LIKENESS
WITH
EVER-INCREASING GLORY,
WHICH
COMES FROM THE LORD,
WHO
IS THE SPIRIT.
(2
Corinthians 3)
No comments:
Post a Comment