Ep. 315. 2 Corinthians 3 | What Once Had Glory

EPISODE 315

WHAT ONCE HAD GLORY: 2 CORINTHIANS 3

We left off yesterday with, "For we are not like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ." That was the last verse of chapter two. This is another one of those places I wish they had not put in a chapter break since it breaks the flow of what Paul is saying.

Paul and his fellow apostles are not "peddlers" of the word of God. They have no need to commend themselves, and they don't need letters of recommendation from people of important standing. After all, they are ministers of the "new covenant" and not the "old covenant."

If you have journeyed with us through these 315 episodes, then the "Old Covenant" and "New Covenant" discussion is not foreign to you. By now, you have come to see and know (and will even more in Galatians and Hebrews) that a transfer has happened from the Old to the New. The Old Covenant kills, is a ministry of death, and a ministry of condemnation. Meanwhile, the New Covenant that comes by the Spirit brings life, has more glory than the Old, and brings about righteousness.

You certainly don't have to memorize these verses here, but it would be incredibly helpful to be familiar with what Paul says in 3:6-11. Understanding these six verses will go a long way to helping you understand the difference between the two covenants. And remember, what used to have glory, the Old Covenant of the Law, has come to have NO GLORY because of the glory that far surpassed in the New Covenant by the Spirit.

So that we keep sight of what Paul is talking about here, I will remind you that the false teachers in Corinth are trying to get the Corinthians to adhere to the works of the Law. It is the same problem we saw addressed in Acts 15 and will see addressed in the short letter to the Galatians.

ADDITIONAL READING: Exodus 34:33-35