Bullet Point Bible - 2 Corinthians 3

Living Letters of Recommendation

¹ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? We don't need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we?² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone,³ revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not onstone tablets but on tablets of human hearts.

Paul confronts a potential accusation that he is engaging in self-promotion, a practice common among some rival teachers (2 Cor 3:1).
He asserts that the Corinthian believers themselves are his ultimate letter of recommendation, superior to any written document (2 Cor 3:2).
This "letter" is internal ("written on our hearts") yet externally visible ("known and read by everyone"), signifying the genuine transformation evident in their lives.
The letter originates from Christ ("a letter from Christ") and is delivered through Paul's ministry ("delivered by us"), highlighting Christ as the source and Paul as the agent (2 Cor 3:3).
The writing medium contrasts the New Covenant with the Old: "Spirit of the living God" versus "ink," and "tablets of human hearts" versus "tablets of stone" (2 Cor 3:3).
This imagery directly alludes to Old Testament prophecies of the New Covenant, where God promised to write his law on hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26).
The transformed lives of the Corinthians serve as powerful validation of the authenticity and effectiveness of Paul's apostolic ministry.
Paul subtly contrasts his ministry, validated by changed lives, with opponents who may rely on external credentials or rhetoric.

God's Ministers of the New Covenant

⁴ Now we have such confidence in God through Christ.⁵ Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,⁶ who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Paul's confidence (mentioned in 2 Cor 3:4) is not self-derived but comes "through Christ toward God," grounding his assurance in his relationship with God.
He explicitly denies self-sufficiency, stating "Not that we are adequate in ourselves" (2 Cor 3:5). The Greek term for "adequate" (*hikanos*) implies competence or qualification.
Paul asserts that their competence for ministry ("our adequacy") originates solely "from God" (2 Cor 3:5).
God is the one who qualified Paul and his companions as "ministers of a new covenant" (2 Cor 3:6). This directly contrasts with the Old Covenant mediated by Moses.
The New Covenant is characterized as being "not of the letter but of the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:6), introducing a fundamental distinction.
"The letter" refers to the Mosaic Law, particularly its external demands and inability to impart life.
"The Spirit" refers to the Holy Spirit, who empowers, transforms, and imparts life under the New Covenant.
The stark statement "for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor 3:6) summarizes the core difference: the Law reveals sin and leads to condemnation ("kills"), while the Spirit regenerates and sanctifies ("gives life").
This section establishes the divine source, nature, and life-giving power of the New Covenant ministry Paul represents.

The Surpassing Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ But if the ministry that produced death-carved in letters onstone tablets -came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective),⁸ how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?⁹ For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory!¹⁰ For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it.¹¹ For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory!

Paul contrasts the "ministry that produced death" (the Law) with the "ministry of the Spirit" (the New Covenant) using the concept of "glory" (*doxa*).
He acknowledges the glory associated with the giving of the Law at Sinai, referencing Moses' radiant face (Exodus 34:29-35), but notes this glory was temporary ("fading away") (2 Cor 3:7).
Paul employs an *a fortiori* argument (from lesser to greater): If the ministry associated with death and condemnation had glory, how much greater must be the glory of the ministry associated with the Spirit and righteousness (2 Cor 3:8-9)?
The "ministry that produces righteousness" refers to the New Covenant's power through Christ to declare and make people righteous before God.
The glory of the New Covenant is so superior that it effectively eclipses the glory of the Old Covenant ("what had glory... has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it") (2 Cor 3:10).
The permanence of the New Covenant ("what remains") is contrasted with the temporary nature of the Old Covenant ("what was fading away"), further emphasizing the superiority of the New Covenant's glory (2 Cor 3:11).
This comparison serves to elevate the significance and power of the gospel ministry Paul preaches over the Mosaic system.

Boldness and the Unveiled Face

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness,¹³ and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective.¹⁴ But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.¹⁵ But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,¹⁶ but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed .

The "hope" mentioned in 2 Cor 3:12 refers to the confidence grounded in the surpassing and permanent glory of the New Covenant.
This hope empowers Paul and his colleagues to minister with "great boldness" (*parrhesia*), meaning openness, confidence, and frankness in speech (2 Cor 3:12).
Paul contrasts this openness with Moses' action of veiling his face (Exodus 34:33-35). Paul interprets this not just as hiding fading glory, but symbolically (2 Cor 3:13).
The veil represents the spiritual "hardening" or dullness (*pōroō*) of the minds of those who do not see Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures (2 Cor 3:14).
This spiritual blindness persists ("to this day") when the "old covenant" (referring to the OT scriptures, particularly the Law) is read without understanding its culmination in Christ (2 Cor 3:14-15).
The key to removing this veil of misunderstanding is faith in Christ: "it is only taken away in Christ" (2 Cor 3:14).
Turning "to the Lord" (contextually referring to Jesus Christ) results in the removal of the veil, enabling true understanding of God's plan revealed in the scriptures (2 Cor 3:16).
This section explains why many failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah despite the Old Testament witness.

Freedom and Transformation by the Spirit

¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom.¹⁸ And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Paul makes a profound theological statement: "the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:17). This identifies the risen Christ ("the Lord" from v. 16) functionally with the Holy Spirit in the believer's experience of salvation and transformation. It emphasizes their unity in work, not necessarily ontological identity in all respects.
A key result of the Spirit's presence is "freedom" (*eleutheria*) (2 Cor 3:17). This freedom contrasts with the bondage to sin, the Law's condemnation ("the letter kills"), and the spiritual blindness represented by the veil.
Believers under the New Covenant ("we all") approach God "with unveiled faces," signifying direct access and open relationship, unlike the Israelites under the Old Covenant (2 Cor 3:18).
With unveiled faces, believers behold or reflect "the glory of the Lord" (Christ's glory). The Greek verb (*katoptrizō*) can mean either "beholding as in a mirror" or "reflecting like a mirror." Both fit the context of seeing and being changed by Christ's glory.
This encounter with Christ's glory results in progressive transformation ("are being transformed into the same image") (2 Cor 3:18). Believers are continually changed to become more like Christ.
The transformation occurs incrementally ("from one degree of glory to another"), indicating a process of spiritual growth and sanctification.
The source of this transformation is explicitly identified as "the Lord, who is the Spirit," reinforcing the unified work of Christ and the Spirit in the believer's life (2 Cor 3:18).
This climactic statement summarizes the blessings of the New Covenant: direct access to God, freedom, and continuous transformation into Christ's likeness through the Spirit.

The Bullet Point Bible

2 Corinthians 3