There is probably no passage of Scripture quoted more often in our public worship services here at FBC, Orillia than the one you read this morning from 2 Corinthians 3:17-18:
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17–18 ESV)
I had these verses memorized way before the ESV became popular so when I recite it I tend to produce a hodgepodge of NRSV and KJV put together. The NRSV renders it this way:
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17–18 NRSV)
Either way you say it, this is certainly one of the most beautiful passages in all the Bible. Understanding this verse requires some attention to context. Paul has just said some rather negative things about the law. Earlier in the chapter he said concerning the superiority of the New Covenant:
For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6 ESV)
Later in speaking about the effect of the Old Testament law on the Jewish people and their inability to understand it he said:
12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:12–15 ESV)
Paul makes it sound like the Old Testament was ineffective. At first glance that sounds disrespectful to God’s Word and it sounds at odds with the assessment of King David. David loved the law and said about it:
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes (Psalms 19:7–8 ESV)
Is the Apostle Paul disagreeing with David? No. Paul is making a rhetorical argument that the law of God separated from the Word of God and apart from the Spirit of God can only kill and condemn. Paul is arguing that when the law is seen as Christ centered, when Christ is understood as the true “spirit of the law” and when the Spirit of Christ enlivens the heart of the reader, then and only then, does the law perform it promised function. Calvin is helpful here; he says:
"He now, on the other hand, calls Christ its spirit, meaning by this, that it will be living and life-giving, only if it is breathed into by Christ. Let the soul be connected with the body, and then there is a living man, endowed with intelligence and perception, fit for all vital functions. Let the soul be removed from the body, and there will remain nothing but a useless carcase, totally devoid of feeling…. For when it (the law) is animated by Christ, those things that David makes mention of are justly applicable to it. If Christ is taken away, it is altogether such as Paul describes. Hence Christ is the life of the law."[1]
Perhaps it would be helpful to think of it this way. The Spirit of Christ within us functions rather like one of those Shreddies’ Decoder Rings you used to play with as a child. Without the Decoder Ring, the message on the box (or “Tablet of Stone”) is complete gibberish. However, with the Decoder Ring, it makes perfect sense. Christ is the cipher of the law. When we read the Bible “backwards” through his life and death and with the help of the Holy Spirit it begins to perform all its promised work. It begins to CHANGE US, it begins to ENLIVEN US, just as David said. If the indecipherable Old Covenant left a permanent mark on Moses (his face had to be veiled because it shone) how much more will the deciphered New Covenant have on us! That is the point Paul goes on to make:
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)
The change that David promised begins to be realized by those who read the Bible through the lens of Jesus Christ and with the help of his Holy Spirit. Let’s go back and consider that great promise in full:
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalms 19:7–11 NKJV)
With the completed work of Christ effective through faith operating on us and the Spirit of Christ operating in us, all of those promises are effective to us. With new hearts, filled with the Holy Spirit, we read the law – we study the whole Word of God from cover to cover – and as we do we are converted, we are transformed, we are made wise, we are made glad, we are made pure, we are made understanding and we are made clean. We are changed, by one degree of glory to the next into the same image as Jesus Christ. The credit for this change goes not to us, and not even to the Holy Scriptures, rather:
"For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)
It is the Spirit of the Lord that makes all the difference in the world. You can read the Bible cover to cover as an unbeliever and not be touched by its beauty. It remains a closed book even when its open in your lap. But when Christ changes your heart and the Spirit opens your eyes, for the first time it seems that you see it, seeing it you believe, believing you are saved and reading it you are changed. This comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Thanks be to God.
SDG
Paul Carter
P.S. If you'd like to learn more about "Reading The Bible Backwards" see here.
[1]John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries (Complete), trans. John King, Accordance electronic ed. (Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1847), n.p.