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CORINTHIANS
CHAPTER 3
The gospel surpasses the law of Moses—Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
1 DO we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; [The word testament is a translation of the Latin testamentum, which was the translation of the Greek word for “covenant.” A person’s last will and testament (or death covenant) is an example of the true meaning of the word. However, when new testament and old testament are used, most of us immediately think of the two divisions of the Bible. We should remember that those two divisions were so called because the first continued the writings and records of the people of God under the old covenant (the Mosaic law) and the second, his dealings under the new covenant (the law of Christ). The New Testament, as we know it in the Bible, was not even compiled until long after Paul’s death. so in verse 6, Paul states that they are ministers of the new covenant of Christ, which does away with the old. Even in verse 14, though it is obvious that Paul refers to the scriptural records when he talks of the reading of the old testament, he is not using it in the same sense we think of the Old Testament, but rather in the sense of the Mosaic law, or the old covenant. Religion 121-122 Manual pg 303] not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, [ The splendour of Moses' countenance was so great that the Israelites could not bear to look upon his face, and therefore he was obliged to veil his face ] , that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which dvail is done away in Christ.
15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, [ Even at this point they have been so blinded, their hearts so hardened, just as they were in the day s of Moses where they were hidden behind the veil. Called here "palaia diaqhkh", or the old covenant. And what was the covenant that they would not take upon themselves? It is the covenants made with their forefathers: Abraham, Issac and Jacob. They were to renew those covenants that God had made with their father Abraham. It was the very covenants of the Temple. Exo 19:10 God wanted to santify them. ] , the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18  But we all, with open face [ or with our face not veiled as they had to when they looked upon Moses. ] beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.