Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 3

Verse 1

2Co 3:1. In reference to the declarations in the closing verses of the preceding chapter, Paul implies a denial that they were given in the spirit of boastfulness, of which he evidently had been accused by some persons in Corinth. His work was so well known in that city that he did not even need any commendation from outside sources. As some others refers to men coming to or going from the vicinity of Corinth who were not so well known, and who had to be provided with letters of commendation as credentials.

Verse 2

2Co 3:2. Ye are our epistle; Paul founded the church in Corinth (Act 18:1-11). Known and read of all men. That congregation was very strong and became known generally as the work of Paul. Such information was spread not only through the regular channels of news, but the work of the apostle in Corinth was so precious to his heart, that he imparted the information to others. (See chapter 9:2.)

Verse 3

2Co 3:3. The gist of Paul's figurative verses is that the lives of the Corinthians constituted an epistle, because they were displaying the principles that Christ taught. The agency through whom the teaching was written to them was the apostle, who was enabled to do such work by the Spirit of God. In contrast with the law of Moses that was written on tables of stone, this epistle was written on the human heart or mind of the Corinthians.

Verse 4

2Co 3:4. Having described the situation in the preceding verse, Paul affirms his confidence in the correctness of that description in the present verse.

Verse 5

2Co 3:5. Paul explains the entire qualification for his part in the preceding program, by giving God the honor for the source of such sufficiency.

Verse 6

2Co 3:6. Ministers is from the same Greek word as "deacon." Thayer's general definition is, "one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master; a servant, attendant, minister." Paul was made able to administer the commands of Christ by the Spirit of God as stated in verse 3. New is from KAINOS. which Thayer defines at this place, "new, which as recently made is superior to what it succeeds." Testament is from DIATHEKE, which Thayer defines, "a compact, covenant." In connection with our present passage he says, "we find in the New Testament two distinct covenants spoken of, namely, the Mosaic and the Christian, with the former of which the latter is contrasted." The latter covenant is the one of which Paul was made an able minister. Letter . . . spirit. Any document intended for the guidance of human beings would have to be expressed in some language and hence would need to use letters. However, some special sense is here attached to the term which will be seen in the following verses. Letter killeth. In Rom 8:2 Paul calls the first covenant the "law of sin and death," because it inflicted physical death upon those who committed serious violation of it (Heb 10:28). Under the law of the Spirit men are suffered to live physically in spite of their sins, and also may live eternally if they will make the necessary reformation of.life.

Verse 7

2Co 3:7. The Mosaic covenant is called the ministration of death for the reason shown in Heb 10:28, together with the comments on the preceding verse. The superiority of the new covenant over the old would not mean much, unless it is known that the old one also was important. Hence Paul reminds the reader that in administering that first one, the face of Moses became so bright with its glory that the children of Israel could not endure looking directly into his face. (See Exo 34:29-35.) Which was to be done away. This statement refers to the covenant that was written on the tables of stone, namely, the ten commandments.

Verse 8

2Co 3:8. The original word for rather is defined by Thayer, "to a greater degree." Paul justifies his contrast by the fact that the first covenant (though glorious) was written on stone and also it "was to be done away," while the second was a ministration of the Spirit.

Verse 9

2Co 3:9. This verse refers to the same contrast that is considered in the preceding ones but with slightly different terms. Ministration of condemnation alludes to the same thought as that in the words "sin and death" in Rom 8:2. Ministration of righteousness is used of the Gospel or new covenant, because in it is revealed "the righteousness of God" by faith. (See Rom 1:17.) Exceed is used in the same sense as rather in verse 8.

Verse 10

2Co 3:10. Had no glory is said in a comparative sense only, for Paul has already shown the first covenant to be very glorious. However, it was nothing when compared with the second; it was glorified by being given through the Spirit.

Verse 11

2Co 3:11. This verse is an unanswerable refutation of a prominent but perverse doctrine in the world today. Certain followers of a visionary old woman maintain that the sabbath law is still binding on Christians. As an effort to evade the inconsistencies of their heresy, they assume a distinction between what they call the "ceremonial law" written by Moses, and the ten-commandment law written by the Lord. They admit that the law of Moses was to be done away, but maintain that the law of God (the ten commandments) was never to be abolished. But we know Paul is writing about the ten commandments in this chapter, for he says they were written on tables of stone, while Moses wrote his "ceremonial law" in a book. Also, our present verse plainly says the covenant that was written on the stones IS done away, while something else (the law of the Spirit) remaineth. It would be impossible for language to state a more complete and direct refutation of any theory, than the present chapter does of the Christ-dishonoring heresy of the Sabbatarians.

Verse 12

2Co 3:12. Plainness is correctly rendered "boldness" in the margin of some Bibles. This boldness was caused by Paul's abiding confidence in the perpetuity of the law of Christ. The law of Moses as a religious standard was ended by that of Christ (Rom 10:4), and His law of the Spirit took its place.

Verse 13

2Co 3:13. Paul has been showing some contrasts between the old and new laws, and another one is shown here. He does it by making a figurative use of the vail that Moses put over his face. That vail was a literal one and was used as a literal shield for the eves of the children of Israel. But as the glare on the face of Moses was a symbol of the glory of the old covenant, the hiding of that glare constituted (in Paul's figurative use of it) a concealment of the glory of that covenant. That covenant, though glorious, was destined to be done away, which truth was not realized by the children of Israel. Hence their failure to see the glory of that covenant that was des-tinued to come to an end, is used by the apostle to symbolize their failure to realize the truth, namely, that it was to be abolished. And not as Moses, etc., means that Paul would not try to hide part of the glory of the new covenant, but instead he would "use great plainness [boldness] of speech" (verse 12).

Verse 14

2Co 3:14. Paul continues his figurative use of the vail, and likens it to the unbelief of the Jews concerning the temporary use of the old covenant, and the permanent use of the new under Christ. As a result, even down to the days of the apostle, when the children of Israel read the Old Testament, that vail of unbelief prevented them from realizing that the glory of that covenant was to be ended under Christ.

Verse 15

2Co 3:15. This verse is virtually a repetition of the preceding one, with the heart being used in the sense of the mind as in verse 14.

Verse 16

2Co 3:16. The pronoun it stands for the heart in the preceding verse. Of course the heart and mind of a man are the same, meaning the mental faculty by which he either believes or disbelieves a truth proposed to him. Paul here plainly predicts that the heart of the Jewish nation will some day turn to the Lord. That is the same truth that is taught in Rom 11:26. (See the comments on that passage in Volume 1 of the New Testament Commentary.) The removal of this vail of unbelief is predicted in Isa 25:7, where the connection clearly shows the prophet is making a prediction of the Gospel Dispensation. It all means that the Jews as a nation will finally give up their rejection of Christ, and will recognize Him as the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.

Verse 17

2Co 3:17. That Spirit means the one referred to in verse 3 and others in the chapter. The Lord is that Spirit in the sense that He gave the new covenant to the world through the inspired apostles, and whoever receives that covenant enters into a state of liberty--freedom from the old law.

Verse 18

2Co 3:18. This highly figurative verse is based upon the incident when the face of Moses was vailed, hiding the glory that was caused by the old covenant. As a contrast, Christians are to look with uncovered faces into the new covenant that was given by the Spirit of the Lord. When they look into it they see the Lord, and his glory is reflected as by a mirror. If I look into a mirror I will see what my appearance actually is. But Paul extends the figure by showing that the Spirit of the Lord is such that when I look into the inspired mirror, it affects my ,own spiritual appearance so that as I behold the image reflected in that mirror, I will see it change from time to time. Dropping the figurative form of speech, the verse means that the more we "look into the perfect law of liberty" (Jas 1:25), admiring the Lord's image that we see therein, the more our own character will become like His. Reasoning from these truths, it may be appropriately said that professed Christians who show the least amount of the characteristics of Christ, are the ones who seldom gaze into the divine mirror, the New Testament.