Commentary by John W. Gregson

THE OLD COVENANT AND THE NEW COVENANT

II Corinthians 3:1 - 18

Then Paul makes a profound statement, "Ye are our epistles written (eggegrammene) or inscribed in our hearts, known and read of all men (everybody)." The "ye" is emphatic, literally, "you, yourselves.." When Paul took into account what the church meant to him, he was overwhelmed with fond memories; he relived those days of joy and happiness he spent at Corinth. The Corinthians were Paul's letter of recommendation; even where the Corinthians were unknown he told their story everywhere he went. Morgan states, "You are our epistle, says the apostle, you Christian people in Corinth...The author of the epistle is Christ, the pen is Paul, and the ink is the Spirit" (p. 236). Paul uses a play on words - ginoskomene = known and anaginoskomene = read; professing Christians are the only Bible that men read and know. Christian, how does your life read? Does it point others to Jesus?

Memory of the Corinthians were inscribed in Paul's heart, not with black (melani) ink but the Spirit had written not in tablets of stone but on the fleshly tablets of the heart. Jehovah God, in times past, wrote on tablets of stone, but now He writes the Corinthians on Paul's heart. The Holy Spirit had used the Apostle to turn them to Christ; Paul takes full credit for them although he is not bragging. Moses was the mediator of the law covenant (testament) on tablets of stone; Exodus 31:18 "And he gave unto Moses, when he had ceased speaking with him upon Mount Sinai two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." Now God introduces a new Mediator of the grace covenant (testament), and writes His message just as clearly by His Spirit through His apostle on the "tables that are hearts of flesh" (A. S. V.). This Scripture was prophesied by Ezekiel (36:27) which reads, "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them." Hodge writes, "The work of regeneration and sanctification is always represented in Scripture as a much higher manifestation of divine power and grace than any external miracle" (The Sunday School Times, November 2, 1963, p. 9). 4 - 6 In the grace covenant confidence (pepoithesin) or trust is through Christ toward God. Yeager says of verse 4, "The preacher who has been called of God and who is certain that his ministry has been carried on as Paul described his in II Corinthians 2:14 - 17 is not responsible for the results. He could never produce the results which God produces through him, for they are supernatural. God asks no man to be successful. He does ask His servants to be faithful...only God's redemptive and regenerative work is permanent" (Volume XIII, p. 302). Paul could not brag on himself as being sufficient; his sufficiency (hikanotes) or ability to do anything is of Christ Jesus the Lord. No minister should be satisfied with quantity over quality. Those whom God saves and those who are followers of God are genuine; their quality far exceeds those who are followers of false prophets, false preachers and the modern day tele-evangelists who may seek to brag on what they have done or how many converts they have had.

Tasker writes, "A spiritual covenant needs Spirit-filled men as its ministers, for only so can they be able ministers" (p. 61). Paul's ability (hikanosen) or his qualification was given by Jehovah God as a minister (diakonous) or servant of the new testament; whereas Moses' testament (law) killed those who disobeyed; the new grace covenant was written of the Spirit makes it followers alive. The written code kills those who disobey, but the Spirit makes alive. "Truth can be preached accurately but be devoid of life. Truth preached or taught in the life and energy of the spirit alone can generate life" (The Sunday School Times, November 2, 1963, p. 9).

7 - 10 The written code of law (the Mosaic law - Exodus 34:29, 30) which was engraven (entetupomene) or impressed in stones was glorious, although it brought death, but it was done away or made obsolete by the code of grace (the New Testament) which is more glorious for it brings life. Exodus 34:29, 30 reads, "And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him." Moses had been in the presence of Jehovah God, therefore his face did shine. This covenant was fulfilled by the grace covenant. John writes (1:17), "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Paul asks the question, "How shall not the ministration (diakonia) or ministry of the spirit be rather glorious?" When the ministry of the law covenant and the grace covenant are compared the grace covenant is far greater than the law covenant. The law covenant could bring death only, but the grace covenant brings life.

The glory of the grace covenant is far greater in glory than the law covenant. The law covenant was mediated by Moses; the grace covenant was mediated by Jesus Christ. Barnett says, "Why is the glory associated with Moses not now glorious? It is because of the 'surpassing glory,' that is, the glory seen by Paul on the face of Jesus (4:6), the glory of the new covenant, associated as it is with 'the Spirit' and 'righteousness' (8, 9) and expressed in the gospel (4:4). The latter outglorified the former, thus deglorifiying it. The brightness and permanence of the one has outpaled the other, so that whatever glory it had is, in effect, no more" (pp. 186, 187). The condemnation of the grace covenant goes farther beyond in glory than the law covenant. The law covenant was the covenant of condemnation (katakriseos) or judgment; the grace covenant was a covenant of righteousness and justification. The law was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. "The glory on the face of Moses was temporary, though real, and passed away (v. 7), a type of the dimming of the glory of the old dispensation by the brightness of the new. The moon makes dim light after the sun rises...Christ the Sun of Righteousness has thrown Moses in the shade" (Robertson, p. 221).

11 If the law covenant was done away with (katargoumenon), made obsolete or superseded which was glorious (doxes), praiseworthy or honorable, how much more glorious must the grace covenant be that remains (menon) or continues. The law of Moses was given on tables of stone contained the moral standards which are to govern the life of the believer; however, it has been rendered nugatory. The law covenant was given to show man his sins and his utter inability to keep the law. A grace covenant has taken its place which is more glorious because the God Who gave the commandments has now written them on our hearts. Jehovah God, under the new covenant, has given us a Messiah and through the Messiah Who kept the law for us we are able to please God. We place our faith and trust in Him and receive His righteousness, then and only then can we please God, for we received the God-kind of righteousness. Through Jesus Christ we have redemption and regeneration. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:3, 4).

12 - 14 In Christ we have hope and so we have boldness (parresia) or confidence in approaching God's throne of grace as well as boldness to speak out the message of salvation. Since the gospel is of supernatural character it produces supernatural results. Speaking the message can be done with reckless abandon, and Paul needed no further commendation from the Corinthians or anyone else. Paul uses a contrast between the receiving of the law by Moses and the receiving of the new covenant by Jesus Christ. When Moses returned to the Israelites after receiving the law on Mount Sinai, his face had to be covered with a veil (kalumma) so that the people could look on his face. Yeager translates verse 13, "But (Paul) was not like Moses (who) put a veil upon his face, so that the children of Israel could not look at him attentively (atenisai) or look steadfastly to understand the end result of that which was in the process of being phased out." Paul was unlike Moses in that the gospel message was expounded with openness and frankness and not veiled as was Moses.

The eyes of Israel were blinded (eporothe) or hardened until this day because they have not accepted Christ as their Messiah. The veil remains uplifted until the Israelites accept the Messiah that has already appeared. The veil is done away (avakaluptomenon) with or uncovered in Christ. Israel's mind was made dull because they could not understand or see that Christ was the fulfillment of the law of Jehovah God. Kistemaker thinks Paul affirms this verse with Exodus 34:34, "But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And then came out, and spoke unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone; and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him" (p. 122). "(Jesus adopted the parabolic method of teaching); He adopted it because of their blindness, and as a lure. He told them stories and gave them illustrations, by means of which to awaken their interest, if possible. But they were blinded, as men are blinded still" (Morgan, p. 237).

15, 16 Even in the day in which we are living when the Pentateuch is read in the synagogues and temples, the veil is still upon Israel's hearts because they rejected the Messiah. The Israelites have hardened their hearts and will not let the Holy Spirit penetrate their foolish and calloused hearts. However, when Israel turns (episterepse) or returns to Jehovah God and accepts the Messiah, the veil will be taken away (periaireitai) or that which surrounds it shall be removed. The law covenant could not bring salvation to benighted souls; it takes acceptance of the Messiah Who fulfilled the law. See verse 14 above for Exodus 34:34.

17, 18 God is that Spirit Who gives liberty (eleutheria) or freedom from the Mosaic law; the Mosaic law could only bring death. The covenant of the law generates bondage (Galatians 4:24, 25) while the covenant of grace takes away the veil and brings liberty. Jesus said in John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." C. H. Spurgeon writes, "When a Christian dies he knows the password that can make (heaven's) gates wide open fly; he has the white stone whereby he shall be known as a ransomed one, and that shall pass him at the barrier" (B. I., Volume XLIV, p. 109). As every child of God looks into a mirror and sees his image (katoptrizomenoi) or beholds his face, he can know that he has been transformed (metamorphoumetha) or transfigured into the image of glory even by the Lordly Spirit (kuriou pneumatos). This word which is translated transformed of transfigured is the same word used in Matthew 17:2 where Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Moses, Elijah, James, John, and Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration. Paul used this word in Romans 12:2 where he wrote, "And be not conformed to his world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." "Transformation to the divine image is the essence of salvation. The glory of God is the source and the end result. The agent of this divine transformation is the Divine Spirit" (Yeager, p. 320).

Kistemaker interprets this verse as well as any commentator when he says, "First, the contrast of Moses' covered face before the Israelites and the Christian's uncovered face before the Lord is evident. In God's presence Moses removed the veil and then before the Israelites reflected God's glory. Looking at Christ, Christians do so without a veil and then reflect the glory of the Lord, as it were, in a mirror. Between Moses and God's presence and the Christians in Christ's presence we see a degree of parallelism. But between the Israelites and the Christians we see contrast. The Israelites would no look at God's glory that Moses' face reflected, for they chose to live in spiritual blindness (v. 14a). A veil covered their hearts as long as they refused to turn to the Lord (v. 15). Christians, however, live in the presence of the Lord. Moses was in God's presence for a limited time, but Christians have the promise of the Lord that he is always with them (Matthew 28:20). The veil of Moses represented Israel's hardness of heart; the unveiled faces of Christians portray their confidence (see v. 12), for they have fellowship with the Father and the Son (I John 1:4)" (p. 127).

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