2 Corinthians 3: Confidence in Christ

In verses 7-11 Paul takes the Church of Corinth for a journey back in time. He reminds them of the old covenant which leads to death, as no one could possibly keep the law. This covenant came with such glory, that when Moses carried the two tablets to the people his physical appearance served as proof that he had just been with God. His face was so bright that it was like staring into the sun. Moses wore a veil upon his face so that people could look at him. Think about how encouraging it must have been for the Israelites to know that their leader had access to and spent time with God.

Paul then flashes forward in time to ask “Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?” We no longer need to rely on the old covenant, because the new covenant of Christ’s blood gives us access to God as one of his own children. Just as we heard on Sunday that Stephen’s face shined. We become the ones whose face shines like Moses, and we don’t need to veil it.

The new covenant does not bring death but life. How much more secure are we living under the new covenant then the old? Paul follows that up in verse 12 by saying “Since the new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold”; we also read in 2 Timothy 1 that God did not give us a spirit of timidity. This is very evident in so many aspects of our life. Just spend some time with a fan of a sports team? There is boldness in their talk. In talking to my good friend Danny Hess the other day he simply asked, “Why are we bold about all the wrong things?” What a great question. We tend to speak boldly about what we know best and have confidence in. What are you confident in? What do you speak boldly about?

Posted by Jim