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Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 3:12-18
In 2 Corinthians Paul first speaks concerning the ministry and then concerning the ministers. In 2:14 he likens the ministry to a triumphal procession celebrating the victory of Christ. Then he goes on to speak of the function and competence of the ministry and also of its glory and superiority. In 3:12—7:16 Paul comes to the ministers of the new covenant. According to 3:12-18, these ministers are constituted by and with the Lord as the life-giving and transforming Spirit. These two aspects of the Spirit are covered in these verses. If we understand these aspects of the Spirit, we shall see the constitution of the New Testament ministers. These ministers are not merely trained or taught; they are constituted.
Verse 12 says, “Having therefore such hope, we use much boldness.” This is the boldness in speaking openly and freely about their ministry; not hiding anything, as Moses did when he covered his face with a veil (v. 13).
The lasting glory of the new covenant ministry is the basis of the apostles’ hope. In their ministry they have a hope. In the ministry of Moses, by comparison, there was no hope. Moses put a veil on his face to conceal the shining. When we read Exodus 34, we may have a positive impression about this. In 2 Corinthians 3, however, Paul does not interpret the veil in a positive sense, but in a negative sense. According to Paul’s interpretation, Moses put a veil on his face because he was afraid that the children of Israel would see the fading of the glory. Fading means termination. Thus, according to Paul’s understanding, Moses realized that the shining on his face would not last very long. In this sense, Moses did not have any hope. On the contrary, he had a fearful concern. But in verse 12 Paul says that the ministers of the new covenant have hope, for the shining glory of the new covenant ministry remains forever.
Having such a hope, the apostles used much boldness. If you read the book of Exodus carefully, you will see that Moses did not have as much boldness in giving the law as the apostles did in ministering Christ. The more they ministered, the more boldness they had. The longer they ministered, the more bold they became. Their boldness came from their confidence in the everlasting glory.
The principle is the same with us today. I can testify that the more I minister Christ, the more bold I become. Even though there is opposition to this ministry, I still have hope. Eventually the opposition will fade. We have the confidence that we are ministering the truth that carries the glory and that the glory in this truth will remain. Others may not believe what we are preaching. But in the next age, or in the New Jerusalem, they will believe it.
In verse 13 Paul continues, “And are not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the sons of Israel should not gaze unto the end of that which was being done away.” While Moses spoke the word of God to the sons of Israel, he kept his glorified face unveiled. After speaking, he veiled his face (Exo. 34:29-33) lest they see the end of his ministry, which was passing away. He did not want them to behold the termination of the fading glory of his ministry of the law.
Verse 14 says, “But their thoughts were hardened; for until the present day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant, it not being revealed that it is being done away in Christ.” Here the word thoughts denotes “things which proceed out of the mind (2:11; Phil. 4:7). Hence, derivatively, the minds themselves” (Vincent).
In this verse the preposition “it” refers to the fact that the veil is being done away in Christ. Since this fact was not revealed to the sons of Israel, their thoughts were hardened, and their minds were blinded. The veil is being done away in Christ through the new covenant economy, yet it still remains in their minds when they read the old covenant (v. 15).
Verse 15 says, “But unto this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.” Moses here refers to Moses’ writings, the Pentateuch (John 5:47).
Verse 16 says, “But whenever it turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” According to verse 15, “it” must refer to the heart of the sons of Israel. This indicates that their heart is away from the Lord when the veil lies on their heart. When their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Actually, their turned-away heart is the veil. To turn their heart to the Lord is to take away the veil.
Do you know why Christians have no light, no revelation? It is because they are covered by a thick, heavy veil. Of course, there may be a small number who turn their heart to the Lord. When their heart is turned to Him, the veil is taken away, and they see light. Many Christians today are covered by such a thick veil. This is the reason there is so little light among them.
Many among us can testify that when we turned to the Lord we were enlightened. We became clear concerning ourselves, our situation, and the condition of our inner being. By turning to the Lord and coming to the church, we became more clear than ever before.
Those who are constituted apostles are believers whose hearts have been turned to the Lord. Saul of Tarsus became this kind of believer. When he was on the way to Damascus, the Lord Jesus said to him, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Immediately and unconsciously Saul’s heart was turned to the Lord, and he called, saying, “Who art thou, Lord?” (Acts 9:5). Although he did not know who the Lord was, he still called Him Lord. He called on Him foolishly and even blindly. Many of us have done the same thing. Some time later, however, we realized what happened, and our spiritual sky became very clear.
After the Lord appeared to Saul and he called on Him, Saul became blind. Before that time he was a religious leader and led others to persecute the church. But after he called on the name of the Lord, he needed someone to lead him. The Lord Jesus said to him that he should go into the city and that he would be told what to do (Acts 9:6). Eventually, Ananias came to him, and the scales fell off Saul’s eyes. This indicates that the veil was taken away and that he received light. Because the heart of Saul of Tarsus was turned to the Lord, the veil was taken away. What light this man received! His Epistles were all written under the shining of this light. The reason Paul received so much light was due to one factor: the turning of his heart to the Lord and the taking away of the veil.
Verse 17 says, “And the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” When the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And, furthermore, the Lord is the Spirit who would give us freedom. Since the Lord is the Spirit, when the heart turns to Him, the veil is taken away, and the heart is freed from the bondage of the letter of the law.
According to the context of this section, which starts at 2:12, the Lord here must refer to Christ the Lord (2:12, 14, 15, 17; 3:3, 4, 14, 16; 4:5). This, then, is a strong word in the Bible, telling us emphatically that Christ is the Spirit. “The Lord Christ of ver. 16 is the Spirit who pervades and animates the new covenant of which we are ministers (ver. 6), and the ministration of which is with glory (ver. 8). Compare Romans 8:9-11; John 14:16, 18” (Vincent). “The Lord of verse 16 is the Spirit,...which giveth life, verse 6, meaning, ‘the Lord’, as here spoken of, ‘Christ’, ‘is the Spirit’, is identical with the Holy Spirit:...Christ, here, is the Spirit of Christ” (Alford). “All that transforming and indwelling Spirit is Christ Himself. ‘The Lord is the Spirit’” (Williston Walker).
Some deny that the Lord in verse 17 refers to Christ the Lord. They claim that it denotes God in a general way. Furthermore, using John 4:24, they claim that verse 17 is simply saying that God is the Spirit. However, if we consider this verse according to the context, we shall realize that the Lord in verse 17 must refer to Christ. Therefore, this verse tells us emphatically that Christ the Lord is the Spirit. Furthermore, the phrase, “the Spirit of the Lord” indicates that the Spirit and the Lord are one. The Spirit of the Lord is actually one with the Lord. Where the Spirit of the Lord is means where the Spirit, the Lord, is.
Throughout the centuries there have been a number of teachers who believed that, according to verse 17, Christ the Lord is the Spirit. Many Christians, however, are still under the influence of the creeds, especially the Nicene Creed. At the time of the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325), the book of Revelation had not been officially recognized. This may be the reason that in the Nicene Creed nothing is said regarding the seven Spirits. In the book of Revelation the third of the Trinity is the seven Spirits of God. Furthermore, according to Revelation 5:6, these seven Spirits are the seven eyes of the Lamb. For those who claim that the Spirit is a separate Person from the Son, we would like to ask how the third Person, the Spirit, can be the eyes of the second Person, the Son. We cannot deny what the book of Revelation says concerning the seven Spirits, that the third of the Trinity is the eyes of the second. For this reason, we should not speak of Christ and the Spirit as being two separate Persons.
The Spirit in verse 17, who is the ultimate expression of the Triune God, was not yet in John 7:39, because at that time Jesus was not yet glorified. He had not yet finished the process which He, as the embodiment of God, must pass through. After His resurrection, that is, after finishing all of the processes, such as incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, which the Triune God had to pass through in man for His redemptive economy, He became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). This life-giving Spirit is called “the Spirit” in the New Testament (Rom. 8:16,23,26-27; Gal. 3:2,5, 14; 6:8; Rev. 2:7; 3:22; 14:13; 22:17), the Spirit who gives us the divine life (2 Cor. 3:6; John 6:63) and frees us from the bondage of the law. The Spirit of the Lord is the Lord Himself, with whom there is freedom. The freedom here is the freedom from the letter of the law under the veil (Gal. 2:4; 5:1).
In verse 18 Paul goes on to say, “And we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.” “And” here indicates something further. First, the heart turns to the Lord that the veil may be taken away (v. 16); second, the Lord as the Spirit frees us from the bondage of the law (v. 17); and last, with unveiled face we, as a mirror, behold and reflect the glory of the Lord and thus are transformed into His image from glory to glory.
In verse 18 “we” denotes the apostles, who, as examples and representatives of all believers, are the ministers of Christ. Although these verses describe the apostles, we should not think that these verses are not for us. The apostles are examples and representatives of the believers. This means that what the apostles should be, we should be also. Therefore, these verses are also related to us.
The unveiled face is in contrast to the veiled mind, the veiled heart (vv. 14-15). It means that our heart has turned to the Lord so that the veil has been taken away, and the Lord as the Spirit has freed us from the bondage, the veiling, of the law, so that there is no more insulation between us and the Lord.
According to verse 18, we behold and reflect as a mirror the glory of the Lord. Beholding is to see the Lord by ourselves; reflecting is for others to see Him through us. We are such a mirror beholding and reflecting the glory of the Lord. As such, our face should be fully unveiled that we may see clearly and reflect accurately.
The glory in verse 18 is the glory of the Lord as the resurrected and ascended One, who is both God and man, passing through incarnation, human living on the earth, and crucifixion, entering into resurrection, accomplishing full redemption, and becoming a life-giving Spirit. This Spirit dwells in us to make Him and all He has accomplished, obtained, and attained real to us so that we may be one with Him and be transformed into His image from glory to glory.
When we with unveiled face are beholding and reflecting the glory of the Lord, He infuses us with the elements of what He is and what He has done. Thus, we are being transformed metabolically to have His life shape by His life power with His life essence, transfigured, mainly by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2), into His image. Being transformed indicates that we are in the process of transformation.
The constitution of life involves the life essence, the life power, and the life shape. Every kind of life has these three things — the essence, the power, and the shape. For example, a carnation flower has an essence and a power. Therefore, it is formed into a certain shape. As it grows with the life essence and by the life power, it is shaped into a particular form. It is the same with the divine life. This life has its essence, power, and shape. The shape of the divine life is the image of Christ. Thus, in verse 18 we have the thought of being transformed into the same image. This means that we shall be shaped into the image of Christ. Based upon this fact and upon Paul’s use of the word transformed, we speak of being metabolically constituted. This term is based upon the concept of transformation into the image of Christ.
According to 2 Corinthians 4, we are vessels. As vessels we need to have an unveiled face; that is, we need to be open to the divine life with its power, essence, and shape. As we open to the Lord, He as the life-giving Spirit enters into our being to infuse His life essence into us, to operate within us by His life power, and to shape us into His image. This is the constitution of life to make us ministers of the new covenant.
The image in verse 18 is the image of the resurrected and glorified Christ. The “same image” means we are being conformed to the resurrected and glorified Christ, being made the same as He is (Rom. 8:29).
To be transformed into the same image from glory to glory means from one degree of glory to another degree. This indicates a continuing process in life in resurrection. This is “from the Lord Spirit.” “From” indicates that the transformation is proceeding from the Spirit rather than caused by Him.
The Lord Spirit may be considered a compound title like the Father God and the Lord Christ. This expression again strongly proves and confirms that the Lord Christ is the Spirit, and the Spirit is the Lord Christ. In this chapter, this Spirit is revealed as the inscribing Spirit (v. 3), the life-giving Spirit (v. 6), the ministering Spirit (v. 8), the freeing Spirit (v. 17), and the transforming Spirit (v. 18). Such an all-inclusive Spirit is crucial to the ministers of Christ and to their ministry for God’s new covenant economy.
After speaking about the ministry of the new covenant, the apostle continues to speak about the ministers of the new covenant. From verse 12 through 18 he first depicts the new covenant ministers as persons whose hearts have turned to the Lord, whose faces are unveiled, who are enjoying the Lord as the Spirit, freeing them from the bondage of the law, and who are being transformed into the image of the Lord by beholding and reflecting Him. Through such a process of transformation they are constituted to be ministers of Christ by the Spirit with the elements of Christ’s Person and work. Hence, their person is a constitution of Christ and with Christ, and their ministry is to minister Christ to others, infusing them with the all-inclusive Christ as the indwelling, life-giving Spirit. All believers should imitate them to be the same kind of person and to accomplish the same kind of ministry.
