Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 2 Corinthians
Chapter 3: The Lord Is That Spirit
2 Corinthians 3 unfolds the surpassing glory of the new covenant ministry. Paul needs no letters of recommendation, for the changed Corinthians are his living epistle, 'written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God... in fleshy tables of the heart.' His sufficiency is not his own but 'of God,' who made him an able minister 'of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.' The old covenant, though glorious, was a 'ministration of death' with a fading glory, like the veiled, fading shine on Moses' face; the new is a 'ministration of the spirit' whose glory 'excelleth' and 'remaineth.' The veil still lies on Israel's heart, but 'is done away in Christ.' 'Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,' and beholding His glory 'we... are changed into the same image from glory to glory.' The chapter shows us the glory of the new covenant, the Lord who is the Spirit, and the transforming vision of His glory.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians chapter 3. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Paul exalts the ministry of the new covenant of the Spirit above the old covenant of the letter, and shows how the Lord who is the Spirit transforms us into His image. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Written with the Spirit
Changed lives are the living letter of Christ, written by the Spirit.
The Spirit Giveth Life
The new covenant is of the Spirit, not the letter that kills.
Glory That Excelleth
The new covenant's glory surpasses and outlasts the old.
The Lord Is That Spirit
Beholding His glory, we are changed into His image.
The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Giveth Life (2 Corinthians 3:1-6)
The changed Corinthians are Paul's living letter, proof of a ministry whose sufficiency is of God, in the Spirit, not the letter.
Our Sufficiency Is of God
"Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
Word Study
"the letter," Greek gramma (γράμμα). The word means a written character, and so the written code, the law engraved in letters on stone. Paul contrasts it with the Spirit: "not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." The gramma, the law as mere written command, cannot give life; it can only expose sin and pronounce the sentence of death, for it demands a righteousness no fallen person can produce. The Spirit, by contrast, writes God's will "in fleshy tables of the heart," gives new birth, and produces the very life the law could only require. This is the difference between the old covenant and the new: the old wrote commands on stone that condemned the sinner; the new writes the law on the heart and gives the Spirit who empowers obedience. Paul does not despise the law, it is holy, but it "killeth" because it can only command, never enable. The gospel brings the Spirit "of the living God," who gives the life the letter never could.
Explanation
Needing no letters of recommendation, Paul says the Corinthians themselves are his credential: "ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men" — a living letter "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God," not on stone but "in fleshy tables of the heart." His confidence is entirely God-given, for God "hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." The old covenant, written in stone, could only condemn; the new, written by the Spirit on the heart, imparts life.
Gospel Focus
Paul's opponents apparently carried "letters of commendation" to prove their standing. Paul needs none: "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men." The transformed lives of the Corinthians are his letter of recommendation, and more, they are "the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." This is the promise of the new covenant come true: God had said He would write His law not on stone but "in their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33). Where the Spirit has done His work, a changed life is written proof of the gospel's power. Paul is careful to give God all the credit: "not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." He had just asked, "who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:16); here is the answer, our sufficiency is of God alone. God "hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit." And Paul states the great contrast that governs the chapter: "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." The law, as written command, could only condemn; the Spirit gives new life. The whole glory of the new covenant is that it does not merely tell us what to do but writes God's law on the heart and pours out the Spirit who gives life. That is the ministry Paul was given, and the power at work in every believer born of the Spirit.
The Ministration of the Spirit Is Rather Glorious (2 Corinthians 3:7-11)
If the old covenant of death had glory, how much greater the glory of the new covenant of the Spirit and righteousness.
That Which Remaineth Is Glorious
"But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious."
Word Study
"done away," Greek katargeo (καταργέω). The word means to render inoperative, to abolish, to bring to an end. Paul uses it of the old covenant and the fading glory on Moses' face: the glory "was to be done away," and the old is "that which is done away," in contrast to "that which remaineth." The shining on Moses' face, glorious as it was, was a fading glory, already passing even as Israel looked; and the covenant it belonged to was temporary, destined to be set aside when the new came. This is not to call the law bad, it was "glorious", but to show it was preparatory and passing. What replaces it is permanent: "that which remaineth is glorious." The new covenant of the Spirit does not fade and will never be superseded; its glory only increases. So the believer does not look back with longing to the fading glory of the old, but rejoices in the abiding, ever-brightening glory of the new covenant in Christ, the glory that katargeo will never touch.
Explanation
Paul argues from lesser to greater. If "the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones" — the law given through Moses — came with such glory that Israel could not look on his shining face, "how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?" The old covenant had real glory, but a fading one; the new covenant's glory "exceedeth" and "remaineth." The point is not that the law was bad but that it was surpassed — a lesser splendor eclipsed by a greater. "If that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious."
Gospel Focus
Paul now compares the two covenants by their glory, arguing from the lesser to the greater. The old covenant was real and glorious: when Moses came down from Sinai, his face shone with the reflected glory of God, so that "the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses." Yet Paul calls that covenant "the ministration of death" and "of condemnation," because the law, holy as it was, could only condemn the sinner and pronounce death. And its glory "was to be done away", the shine on Moses' face faded, a picture of a covenant that was passing. Here is Paul's argument: "if the ministration of death... was glorious... how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?" If even the covenant that condemned came with such glory, how much greater the glory of the covenant that gives the Spirit and declares sinners righteous. "Much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory." In fact, the new glory so surpasses the old that the old, by comparison, "had no glory... by reason of the glory that excelleth", as the stars are outshone by the sun. And the decisive difference is permanence: the old was "done away," but the new "remaineth." The glory of the new covenant does not fade like the shine on Moses' face; it abides and grows. So the believer under the new covenant possesses something greater than Sinai ever offered: not a law that condemns and a glory that fades, but the Spirit who gives life and a glory that will never pass away.
Now the Lord Is That Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)
The veil on Israel's heart is taken away in Christ; the Lord who is the Spirit gives liberty and transforms us into His image.
Changed Into the Same Image from Glory to Glory
"Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
Word Study
"the Lord is that Spirit," Greek ho... Kurios to Pneuma estin (ὁ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν). Paul makes a plain identification: "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit are not two separate persons but one; the Lord is the Spirit. This is a clear Apostolic, Oneness testimony: the same one God who is the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit who indwells and transforms His people. Scripture calls the indwelling Spirit "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9), "the Spirit of the Lord," and "the Spirit of his Son" (Galatians 4:6), for the Lord Jesus and the Spirit are the one God under different aspects, not a second and a third divine person. When Israel "shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away," and that Lord to whom they turn "is that Spirit." So we are not dealing with three separate beings but with the one God, the Lord Jesus, who is the Spirit, giving liberty and changing us "into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." To behold the glory of the Lord Jesus is to be transformed by the Spirit who is that same Lord.
Explanation
Moses veiled his face so Israel could not see the glory fading; Paul says a veil still lies "upon their heart" whenever the old covenant is read, and it is removed only in Christ — "when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away." "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." And then the glorious result: "we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory." Gazing on the unveiled Christ transforms the beholder into His likeness — a progressive glory worked "by the Spirit of the Lord."
Gospel Focus
Because the new covenant's glory abides, Paul says, "we use great plainness of speech", boldness and openness, unlike Moses, who "put a vail over his face" so Israel would not see the glory fading. But Paul turns the veil into a picture of a deeper problem: "their minds were blinded." To this day, he says, when the old covenant Scriptures are read without Christ, "the vail is upon their heart," and they cannot see that all of it pointed to Him. The good news is that "which vail is done away in Christ." And the way it is removed is by turning to the Lord: "when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away." The moment a heart turns to Jesus, the veil lifts and the Scriptures open, for He is their meaning and fulfillment. Then Paul makes his great declaration: "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The Lord Jesus to whom we turn is Himself the Spirit who sets us free, one God, not two persons, the Lord who is the Spirit. And where that Spirit of the Lord is, there is "liberty," freedom from the veil, from condemnation, from the bondage of the letter. Finally Paul gives the goal of the whole new covenant ministry: "we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Unlike Moses, who veiled a fading glory, believers gaze with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, and as they behold Him they are transformed into His likeness, changed "from glory to glory," ever more into His image, by the Spirit who is the Lord. This is the new covenant life: no fading shine to be hidden, but an open, growing transformation, as beholding the Lord Jesus, who is the Spirit, we are remade into His glorious image.
Chapter 3 in Review
2 Corinthians 3 exalts the ministry of the new covenant. Paul needs no letters of commendation, for the transformed Corinthians are "the epistle of Christ... written... with the Spirit of the living God... in fleshy tables of the heart." His sufficiency is "of God," who made him an able minister "of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." The old covenant, though glorious, was a "ministration of death" whose glory faded like the shine on Moses' face; the new "ministration of the spirit" has a glory that "excelleth" and "remaineth." The veil still lies on Israel's heart, but "is done away in Christ." "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," and beholding "the glory of the Lord" we "are changed into the same image from glory to glory."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter magnifies the gospel's power and clarifies the Godhead. The new covenant does not merely command like the old, engraved letter that kills; it gives the Spirit who writes God's law on the heart and gives life, a greater and abiding glory. At its heart stands a plain Oneness truth: "the Lord is that Spirit." The Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not two separate persons but the one God; the Lord to whom we turn is Himself the Spirit who frees and transforms us. So the veil is lifted by turning to Him, liberty is found where His Spirit is, and the whole Christian life becomes a transformation, beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, we are changed into His image from glory to glory by the Spirit who is the Lord. Turn to Him, behold Him, and be transformed.
- Changed lives are "the epistle of Christ," written by the Spirit (3:3).
- "Our sufficiency is of God," who makes able ministers of the new covenant (3:5-6).
- "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (3:6).
- The new covenant's glory surpasses and outlasts the old (3:9-11).
- "Now the Lord is that Spirit": the Lord Jesus is the Spirit, one God (3:17).
- Beholding His glory, we are "changed into the same image from glory to glory" (3:18).
Questions for Reflection
- Is your life a living "epistle of Christ," read by those around you?
- Do you rest in the Spirit who gives life, not the letter that kills?
- What does it mean to you that "the Lord is that Spirit," the one God?
- Are you beholding the glory of the Lord and being changed into His image?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The new covenant written on the heart by the Spirit: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 7:6. The surpassing glory of the new covenant: 2 Corinthians 3:7-11; Exodus 34:29-35; Hebrews 8:6-13. The Lord who is the Spirit; one God: 2 Corinthians 3:17; Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 4:6; John 14:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:45. Beholding and being changed into His image: 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2; Colossians 3:10. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The new covenant of the Spirit, not the letter: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 7:6.
- The surpassing, abiding glory of the new covenant: 2 Corinthians 3:7-11; Exodus 34:29-35; Hebrews 8:6-13.
- The Lord is that Spirit; changed into His image: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18; Romans 8:9-11; Romans 8:29.