The previous chapter ends with Paul contrasting his ministry against that of the hucksters. Did that sound like a sales pitch? Those same hucksters were fond of pieces of paper that recommended them to the next church they visited: letters, certificates, and other memorabilia. Paul had no need of such things; he was a church planter, not a roving preacher. He needed no introduction in Corinth, especially to the church there. Everyone knew him as their founding apostle.
The members were the only letter he needed. Christ’s word was written on their hearts and in their lives. They were living letters, not written in ink. It was not like Moses coming down from Sinai with stone tablets, either. Paul walked into Corinth with confidence and began sharing in the synagogue there. It wasn’t a question of competence in Jewish rhetoric, but the power of the Holy Spirit witnessing to His own message: the New Covenant in Christ.
Paul reviewed the teaching he surely offered there in Corinth, claiming that the written code of law delivered by Moses served one purpose — it painted all flesh as quite clearly sinful and deserving of death. But it left you there. It could not raise you up to a new life in the Spirit; only God could do that. Yes, the Law left you prostrate at God’s feet. That in itself was a marvelous thing; glorious, indeed! Without the Law you would not know anything about God’s requirements. But only by His Spirit could you then be raised to a new life.
The Law is not gone, but it has been brought to life in Christ, and Christ it brings life. The written Law couldn’t do that. He is the purest form of God’s revelation.
Paul offers a comparison. When Moses returned from the Lord’s Presence, his face literally glowed with heavenly glory. It was a spectacle. People were shocked by that, so Moses would wear a veil on his face until the effect wore off. Christ’s glory shining in your heart will not fade away, because He is the Living Law of God in Person. So, if the written law code, which only kills, came with such glory, how much greater the glory that brings eternal life!
That veil was a symbol. To this very day, says Paul, when Jews hear the words of Moses, they cannot see the true glory. Their hearts are veiled inside, so they cannot approach the death we all need in our flesh. Only when we turn to Christ is that veil removed. His Spirit invades our open hearts. And where He is, there is liberty from death and law.
Instead of a fading glory behind some veil, we face the world with a glory that actually increases as we kill off more and more of our fleshly nature. We are transformed from glory to glory.
