Christ’s Epistle
1 Dowe begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as someothers,epistles of commendation to you orlettersof commendation from you?
2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ,ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, noton tablets of stone buton tablets of flesh,thatis,of the heart.
The Spirit, Not the Letter
4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God.
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything asbeingfrom ourselves, butour sufficiencyisfrom God,
6 who also made us sufficient asministers ofthe new covenant, notof the letter but of the Spirit; forthe letter kills,but the Spirit gives life.
Glory of the New Covenant
7 But ifthe ministry of death,writtenandengraved on stones, was glorious,so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, whichglorywas passing away,
8 how willthe ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
9 For if the ministry of condemnationhadglory, the ministryof righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.
11 For if what is passing awaywasglorious, what remainsismuch more glorious.
12 Therefore, since we have such hope,we use great boldness of speech—
13 unlike Moses,whoput a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily atthe end of what was passing away.
14 Buttheir minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because theveilis taken away in Christ.
15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
16 Neverthelesswhen one turns to the Lord,the veil is taken away.
17 Nowthe Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lordis, thereisliberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholdingas in a mirrorthe glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.