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Verse By Verse Devotional On 2 Corinthians By Pastor Jack #79

August 22, 2016 | by: Jack Lash | 0 comments

Posted in: 2 Corinthians

The Lord and the Spirit (3:17)

(Note: From now on the context of the verse will be included and the verse itself will be capitalized.)

3:12-18 "Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. NOW THE LORD IS THE SPIRIT, AND WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS, THERE IS LIBERTY. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from THE LORD, THE SPIRIT."

In order to counter the (Judaizing) false apostles who were stuck in the old covenant, Paul has been contrasting the old covenant with the new, showing that the new has outgloried the old and that the old was destined to fade away. The new covenant is centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, who men must now turn to for salvation.

But the new covenant is also the covenant "of the [Holy] Spirit" (v.6) and the "ministry of the Spirit" (v.8). Paul is anxious to identify the Lord Jesus (who the Judaizers claim to believe in and preach, though they actually "preach another Jesus" [2Cor.11:4]) with the Holy Spirit, who is "the Spirit of the Lord" (v.7) and "the Spirit of Christ" (Rom.8:9). Presumably, the Judaizers were not comfortable with the idea of the Holy Spirit and His coming at Pentecost (understandably so, since His coming represented an opening of the salvation of God to all peoples and at least a hint of the rejection of the Jews).

The members of the Trinity are so closely identified with each other that at times the label of one is applied to another. For instance, Jesus is called "everlasting Father" in Isaiah 9:6. And so Paul here, wanting to show how closely interrelated the Lord Jesus is with the Spirit, says "the Lord is the Spirit."

Virtually all Christians identify with the Lord Jesus. But many have little concept of the Holy Spirit (though some, on the other hand, overemphasize the Spirit to the neglect of the Son). Here Paul wants us to see that the two come together -- they cannot be separated. The faith we have in Christ is by the Spirit. The liberty we have from the law, from sin, from bondage, has come through the work of the Spirit. The Spirit is the One who has removed our blinders and opened our eyes to the glory of Christ. Resisting God is called "grieving the Holy Spirit" (Eph.4:30).

It is very important that believers have an understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. We must not leave Him out. We live in the age of the Spirit; by giving us His Spirit, God has well-equipped us for life in this age of struggle. It is our great loss if we don’t know about the One who has come to be our Helper.

There are, of course, many false and dangerous ideas afloat about the ministry of the Holy Spirit today. That is even more reason that as we are taught we need to be searching the Scriptures to verify or expose the things we hear.

If anyone wants to receive my twelve sermons on the Holy Spirit, please send $30 to Gainesville Presbyterian Church, 16127 Lee Highway, Gainesville, VA 20155.

Dear Father, I want to be a man who does not grieve the Holy Spirit but who is full of the Spirit. May Your Spirit move in me to continuously open my eyes to the glory of Christ and to transform me into His likeness. I want the fullness of the liberty that the Spirit produces.

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