ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for 2 Corinthians 3

2 Cor. 3:1–6 Paul makes it clear that, as an apostle, he was called to mediate the Spirit in fulfillment of the new covenant.

2 Cor. 3:1 Paul expects a negative answer to his two rhetorical questions, since his claim to be an apostle is not an empty boast (he does not commend himself). His claim of apostleship is supported by the Spirit and by his ministry of suffering. For the theme of “commendation” in 2 Corinthians, see notes on 4:2; 6:4; 10:12; 10:17–18.

2 Cor. 3:2–3 letter from Christ. By the Corinthians’ changed lives, Christ testifies to Paul’s true apostleship because he is the one who brought the gospel to them (delivered by us). on tablets of stone. See Ex. 24:12; Deut. 9:10. on tablets of human hearts. See Ezek. 11:19; 36:26.

2 Cor. 3:5 sufficiency is from God. Paul’s sufficiency as an apostle echoes the accounts of the callings of the OT prophets (see Judg. 6:11–24; Isa. 6:1–8; Jer. 1:4–10; Ezek. 1:1–3:11).

2 Cor. 3:6 ministers. Whereas “apostle” refers to Paul’s authoritative office, “minister” (or “servant”) refers to how he carries out his work. He can share this role with non-apostles (e.g., 4:1; 5:18; 1 Cor. 3:5). Here “minister” refers to Paul’s role of mediating the Spirit as promised in the new covenant (Jer. 31:33–34; Ezek. 36:25–27). the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Compare Rom. 2:29 and 7:6, the other two NT occurrences of this contrast. The letter kills since it announces God’s will without granting the power to keep it. This brings people under God’s judgment as covenant breakers. The Spirit alone gives life because only the Spirit can change the heart, enabling God’s people to keep his commands.

2 Cor. 3:7–9 Moses’ ministry is described as a ministry of death because Israel would not obey the law (see Ex. 32:9; 34:9) and so received condemnation (2 Cor. 3:9). The giving of the law was accompanied by so much glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face. See Ex. 34:29–35.

2 Cor. 3:10–11 Now that the new covenant has come, the old covenant has come to have no glory at all, since God is no longer revealing himself through it. The glory of the new covenant also surpasses that of the old in that the new covenant is a permanent, everlasting covenant.

2 Cor. 3:12–18 If Paul’s ministry announces life, not death, then why are the majority of the Jews in Paul’s day still rejecting it? Does Israel’s rejection of Paul’s message call the gospel itself into question? Paul answers these questions in this next section.

2 Cor. 3:12 Paul’s confident expectation (his hope) is that God is pouring out the Spirit to change people’s hearts.

2 Cor. 3:13 Veil is the key concept in vv. 13–18. so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. This explains why Moses veiled his face (Ex. 34:33, 35). The most likely interpretation is that Moses put a veil over his face so the Israelites would not see that the glory was gradually fading. This fading signified the temporary nature of the old covenant.

2 Cor. 3:14–15 Despite Paul’s ministry, Israel’s minds, which were hardened in Moses’ day (Ex. 32:9; 33:3; 5; 34:9), remained so to this day. See also Deut. 29:4; Isa. 29:10. This is seen by the fact that that same veil remains unlifted in Paul’s day whenever Moses is read. Here Paul uses Moses’ veil as a symbol for the people’s hardened condition. This hardness kept most Jews in Paul’s day from recognizing that the law of Moses itself points to Jesus as the Messiah.

2 Cor. 3:17 the Lord is the Spirit. Paul seems to be saying that the Christian’s experience of the ministry of the Spirit under the new covenant (vv. 3–8) is parallel to Moses’ experience of God the Father under the old covenant. The Spirit (under the new covenant) sets one free from the veil of hard-heartedness (vv. 12–15). Paul regularly distinguishes Christ from the Holy Spirit in his writings. That is surely the case here, since later in this verse he speaks of the Spirit of the Lord. There is freedom most likely refers to the many kinds of freedom that come with salvation in Christ and with the presence of the Holy Spirit. These include freedom from condemnation, guilt, sin, death, the old covenant, and blindness to the gospel. It also includes access to the loving presence of God.

2 Cor. 3:18 with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord. As a result of seeing the Lord through the ministry of the Spirit, the believer is being transformed (over time) into the same image of God that was distorted at the fall (see Gen. 1:26–27; 2 Cor. 5:17; also 1 John 3:2). The “image” of God includes every way in which humans are like God. This includes their moral character, their knowledge, their many God-given abilities, and their rule over creation (see Gen. 1:26–28).