He has enabled us to be ministers of His new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.
2 Corinthians 3:6-12
- Old Covenant New Covenant
- Death Life
- Written laws Spirit
- Condemnation Right with God
- Glorious Overwhelmingly glorious
- Replaced Remains forever
- Gives us Confidence [by inference – lacking confidence]
- Enables us to be bold [by inference – without boldness]
When you stack up the contrasts there is really no comparison, is there? There was glory associated with the Old Convenant, but Paul says “shouldn’t we expect greater glory under the new way?” The glory under the Old Covenant was temporal. The glory under the New Covenant remains forever. Paul uses the example of Moses who received God’s glory so much so that his face shone with the radiance of it. But the glory soon faded. In fact God didn’t reveal Himself to Moses in all of His fullness because Moses would have been fried. He covered him over with His hand and only let His after glow fall on him. (see Bible Gem 13) That is how much different the Old is from the New. Moses only got the afterglow of the glory and even that was too much. And while fading quickly it was still too much for the Israelites as we will see tomorrow. Paul says twice “how much more glorious is the new”. You know enough now from following Bible Gems to know that important things are emphasized by repetition in the Word of God. The New Covenant is so much more glorious than the Old Covenant. Paul lays it out for us to make sure it is clear.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul.
General MacArthur
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
Jim Elliot
Through massive doors of gold, twixt columns touching the clouds, before a throne on galaxies, kneeling I say, “Abba”.
John Piper