2 Corinthians 3
Ministers of the New Covenant
aAre we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, bas some do, cletters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 aYou yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of athe living God, not on btablets of stone but on ctablets of dhuman hearts.
4 aSuch is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 aNot that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but bour sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be aministers of ba new covenant, not of cthe letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but dthe Spirit gives life.
7 Now if athe ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory bthat the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in athe ministry of condemnation, bthe ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
12 Since we have such a hope, awe are very bold, 13 not like Moses, awho would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But atheir minds were bhardened. For to this day, cwhen they read dthe old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when aone turns to the Lord, bthe veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where athe Spirit of the Lord is, there is bfreedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, abeholding bthe glory of the Lord, care being transformed into the same image dfrom one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
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