2 Corinthians 3

2 Corinthians 3 is part of a lengthy section (2:14 onward) in which Paul defends his ministry. At the end of chapter 2, Paul states that he does not corrupt the word of God. Chapter 3 continues this thought, beginning with the question of letters of recommendation and moving on to describe the ministry of those who serve the new covenant.

Outline

• Verses 1–3: Paul says that, unlike some others, he needs no epistles of commendation (letters of recommendation). The Corinthian believers themselves are the epistle of Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of God, not in tables of stone but in the fleshy tables of the heart.
• Verses 4–6: Sufficiency for ministry comes from God. God has made Paul and his companions able ministers of the new covenant, and Paul declares that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.
• Verses 7–11: Paul draws a contrast: if the "ministration of condemnation" engraved in stones had glory, the "ministration of the spirit" and the "ministration of righteousness" have far greater glory.
• Verses 12–16: Referring to the occasion when Moses put a veil over his face, Paul says that the veil that covers the heart when the Old Testament is read is taken away when one turns to the Lord.
• Verses 17–18: The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Believers, beholding the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, are being changed into the same image.

Key Verses

• 2 Corinthians 3:6 "for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" — the verse most often cited in discussions of the relationship between the law and the Holy Spirit. See 2 Corinthians 3:3–6.
• 2 Corinthians 3:17 "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" — a representative verse on the Holy Spirit and Christian liberty. See 2 Corinthians 3:17.
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 "are changed into the same image from glory to glory" — cited in support of describing sanctification as a gradual transformation. See 2 Corinthians 3:18.

People and Places

• Paul: The apostle who wrote this letter; he refers to himself and his coworkers as "we."
• Moses: The mediator of the covenant at Mount Sinai. His veiling of the radiance of his face serves as an illustration.
• Corinth: The city where the church that received the letter was located.

Points to Consider When Reading

• The account of the veil appears in Exodus 34. Exodus, however, does not state that Moses wore the veil so that the Israelites "could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished." This explanation is Paul's interpretation.
• The Reformed tradition generally reads the contrast between "the letter" and "the Spirit" as the contrast between law and gospel, that is, as referring to the law's function of condemning sinners. Some interpreters in the early church, by contrast, used this passage as a basis for distinguishing between the literal and spiritual senses of Scripture.
• In verse 17, "Now the Lord is that Spirit," interpreters differ over whether "the Lord" refers to the Holy Spirit or to Christ.
• The contrast between tables of stone and tables of the heart recalls Ezekiel 11:19–20 and Jeremiah 31:34, which promises the new covenant, and it connects with Hebrews 8:6–13.

In the Korean Church

Verses 6 and 17–18 are frequently used as texts for sermons warning against legalism or addressing freedom and transformation in the Holy Spirit.