2 Coríntios 3
A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 3:1-4
Robertson - NT examples of commending individuals by letters occur in Acts 15:25f.; Acts 18:27 (Apollos), 1 Cor. 16:10f. (Timothy); Ro 16:1 (Phoebe with the verb συνιστημι [sunistēmi]); Col. 4:10 (Mark); 2 Cor. 8:22f. (Titus and his companion).
2 Coríntios 3:1-4
Robertson - Professing Christians are the Bible that men read and know. Bob Deffinbaugh ... Playing out the “letter” imagery, Paul goes on to say that these Corinthians are, themselves, a letter. They are the fruit of Paul’s service and of the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts, turning their stony hearts of unbelief into hearts of flesh. They are not little “clones” of Paul, but rather they reflect Jesus Christ to a darkened and dying world. Paul says the same of the Thessalonian saints knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; 5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (1Th 1:4-note, 1Th 1:5, 6, 7-note) Why does Paul mention this word about commendation or accreditation? I believe it is because in Paul’s day, as in ours, many things which give one status in an unbelieving world do not offer status or authority in the church. The wisdom and persuasive methods of these false teachers impress some of the Corinthians. This should not be so. Today we have “letters” (a play on words), like “Ph.D.” and “Th.M.” which may impress some. Recently, the D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry) has been introduced in Christian institutions of higher learning. For a very challenging perspective of this recent phenomenon,21 I suggest reading David Wells’ excellent chapter entitled, “The D-Min-Ization of the Ministry” in the book, No God but God-Breaking With the Idols of Our Age edited by Os Guinness, John Seel. Page 175-188. (Review of "No God but God) I am not saying there is something evil about biblical and theological education. I am deeply indebted to Dallas Theological Seminary for the tools it gave me to better study and proclaim the Bible. Nevertheless, my degree from the seminary does not accredit me or my ministry. There are those who have graduated from this and other fine schools who have denied the faith and taught error. Here and elsewhere, Paul tells us what commends a Christian’s integrity in ministry. A Christian’s ministry is commended first by the practice of servanthood, rather than by an authoritative or authoritarian leadership style. Paul reminds the Corinthians in 2Co 3:3 that he “cared for” them. The marginal note in the NASB informs us that literally the word is “served.” Those whom God has certified are servants, not “lords.” Second, true laborers of Christ are marked by the integrity of their message and their methods. They are not “peddlers” of the Word of God, but those who simply, boldly, and truthfully proclaim the truth of God’s Word in such a way that men turn to God and depend upon His Word, rather than upon those servants who proclaim it (see Acts 20:17-32). (We need to be very careful here about abuses of the biblical term “discipling” and the secular term “mentoring.” The work of the Spirit in the lives of those to whom we minister is not evidenced by the fact that they look and act just like us, but that they look and act like Christ.) Finally, true servants of God are evident when men are convicted and converted by the Word of God and the Spirit of God, and whose lives are so changed that the world cannot help but notice. True servants of God may or may not have educational diplomas, but the fingerprints of God are all over them and their ministries. (The Sufficiency of God Through His Spirit) S Coley agrees writing that... The Bible is God’s book for the world, only it shuts it. But the world will read you. Masters, your servants read you; servants, your masters read you; so will parents children, etc.Do they read in you what they ought to read? A Christian should be a Bible alive. Never mind though a man has not learned his letters; he will be able to read you fast enough. All men can read justice, mercy, and truth, or the opposite of them.... I remember, when I was a little boy at school, if I by any chance managed to make the smallest blot, as sure as I took the book up to my master, the first thing he looked at was the blot; and, as sure as I took it home, the first thing anybody looked at was the blot. My letters may have been made very gracefully, but nobody said a word about them; but everybody said something about the blot. Ah! I have known some people very good on the whole, but they have had sad blots — blots of temper, vanity, and worldliness. The sun himself is looked at more during the few minutes he has a black spot on his face than on all the days of the year besides. The world has an eagle glance for your spots, and if you have a spot on your character people will look more at it than at all the beautiful things that are there.... I was once in an assize court where a man was being tried for forgery. The individual whose writing, it was suspected, had been imitated, was dead, and so a large letter-book, full of what was known to be the writing of the deceased, was produced in court, to test the alleged forgery by it. If you are letters of Christ you will resemble His writing. The very name Christian implies that you profess to have Christ’s name written upon you. But it is no use to profess to be Christ’s epistle if you are not like Him. Suppose I picked up a letter which professed on the face of it to be a letter from Jesus Christ, but recommended this congregation to be worldly minded, to love gold, to be fretful and peevish, and to be guilty of evils peaking and slander. Of course I should know that it was no letter from Jesus Christ. I wonder whether all present who profess to be Christ’s epistles ever do that which Christ would not put His name to? Are you genuine letters? A friend of mine went to the bank to pay in some money. Amongst it there was a ten-pound note. The clerk looked at it carefully, and then stamped “Forged” right across it. What a sad thing it would be if any of you who profess to be epistles of Christ now should at the last be disowned of Him, and He should say, “You are none of Mine — forged”! (S Coley - Epistles of Christ - Imperfect and Spurious - interesting - see bottom half of page)
2 Coríntios 3:1-4
Robertson - It is not self-conceit on Paul’s part, but through Christ. In Romans Paul declared that "through whom (Christ) we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake (Ro 1:5+) Related resource: Discussion on through Him = through Christ
2 Coríntios 3:5-6
Robertson says kainos in this context conveys the sense of "fresh and effective...Only God can make us that." (Amen!) Vine adds that kainos "denotes “new,” of that which is unaccustomed or unused, not “new” in time, recent (Greek = "neos"), but “new” as to form or quality, of different nature from what is contrasted as old. Paul uses the related noun kainotes translated newness (Freiberg defines it as "depicting something not only recent and different but extraordinary"!) in Ro 6:4-note and Ro 7:6-note. Believers now have a brand new Life (Christ - Col 3:4-note) with a brand new Source of power (the Spirit) to live out that life to the full (cp Jesus' desire for all believers - Jn 10:10b)! Beloved in Christ, may His New "extraordinary" life be a genuine reality in your daily walk with Christ. Amen! Kainos in the Corinthian letters - 1 Co. 11:25; 2 Co. 3:6; 2 Co. 5:17 Covenant (1242)(diatheke from diatithemi = set out in order, dispose in a certain order <> from dia = two + tithemi = to place pictures that which is placed between two, an arrangement between two parties) literally conveys the idea of a testament, as in one's last will and testament. Most of the NT uses of diatheke refer to God's declaration of His will concerning His self-commitment, promises, and conditions by which He entered into relationship with man. Covenant as defined by the Scriptures is a solemn and binding relationship which is meant to last a life time. SOME BACKGROUND ON THE CONCEPT OF COVENANT Covenant has profound implications and is the most solemn, intimate contract known in the Bible. Covenant was considered immutable and binding among the ancients, and thus was not entered into lightly. After pieces of the sacrificial animal were laid opposite one another, the individuals who were cutting covenant would walk between the flesh. This walk represented the so-called walk into death indicating their commitment to die to independent living and to ever after live for their covenant partner and to fulfill the stipulations of their covenant agreement (See this practice in Jer 34:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. See esp Jer 34:18,19). Furthermore, this walk into death was a testimony by each covenant partner that if either broke the covenant, God would take their life, even as had been done to the sacrificial animal. In short, we see the gravity of entering into and then breaking covenant. Thus covenant was a pledge to death, a pledge cut in blood. In covenant the shedding of blood demonstrated as nothing else could the intensity of the commitment (life is in the blood - Lev 17:11, 14). By cutting covenant the two parties were bound for life. Thus the shedding of blood in the cutting of covenant underscored the gravity and binding nature of the transaction. Both the Old and the New Covenants were inaugurated with blood (Lk 22:20, 1Co 11:25). The practice of cutting covenant is found throughout history with traces or remnants of covenant truth in every quarter of the globe. (See Introduction to Covenant and Summary of Major Biblical Covenants) Without question the best way to truly understand covenant is to study these Biblical truths for one's self. And the best course available is the 11 week course of Covenant (click to download 20 page Pdf of Lesson 1 - the overview) produced by Precept Ministries International. This study will transform your life, your marriage, and your ministry. As one of my old medical school professors used to say "you can't not know" these truths about covenant. They are too important. Covenant is what the entire Bible is about, beloved. You can't not know! In our modern society and even in the evangelical church, we have for the most part forgotten the profound significance of covenant in Scripture and thus we have difficulty grasping the profound, practical implications of the New Covenant. Yes, many can list the covenants but few understand the symbolism and seriousness of the concept of covenant. Today men make "covenants" but add stipulations in "fine print" which allow one to "get out" of the agreement with relative ease. Even the marriage covenant has all but lost its holy character in our post-Christian, "abiblical" society, as evidenced by the fact that many couples now live together without entering into a marriage covenant, a covenant ordained by God and one which He honors and blesses. Related resources: Covenant: As It Relates to Marriage Covenant: Why Study It? Covenant: Introduction Lesson 1 Covenant: Summary Table Lesson 2 Covenant: The Exchange of Robes Lesson 3 Covenant: The Exchange of Armor and Belts Lesson 4 Covenant: Solemn and Binding Lesson 5 Covenant: A Walk Into Death Lesson 6 Covenant: The Oneness of Covenant Covenant: Oneness Notes Lesson 7 Covenant: Withholding Nothing from God Lesson 8 Covenant: Abrahamic versus Mosaic Lesson 9 Covenant: New Covenant in the Old Testament Lesson 10 Covenant: Why the New is Better Lesson 11 Covenant: Abrahamic vs Old vs New New Covenant in the Old Testament Name change Covenant Meal Friend a covenant word (notes) Covenant memorial Phylacteries in OT Commingling of blood (notes) Common life of covenant Striking of hands Not of the letter but of the Spirit - Not (ou) signifies absolutely not servants of the letter. The letter (gramma) is not the same as the letter or epistle in 2Co 3:1+ (Gk = epistole). In context letter refers to the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Law, often referred to as the Ten Commandments. Note the striking contrast (but) is between letter and Spirit, the former brings death and the latter gives life. The letter - Referring to the Law or the Old Covenant. Other synonyms Paul uses for the Law in this same chapter include "ministry of death" (2Co 3:6) and "ministry of condemnation" (2Co 3:9). Some commentators feel that in introducing the Law, Paul is addressing false teachers in Corinth who were teaching one much add Old Covenant Law to the New Covenant grace, an untenable mixture for spiritual life. The Holy Spirit was promised in the Old Testament as God's gift in the New Covenant... Moreover, I will give you a new (kainos = brand new) heart and put a new (kainos = brand new) spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes (GOD'S SOVEREIGN PROVISION), and you will be careful to observe My ordinances (MAN'S SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY - SEE 100/100). (Ezekiel 36:26, 27+, cp Ezek 37:14+ Ezek 39:29, Isa 32:15) Comment: Jesus amplified the promise of the Holy Spirit (Lk 24:49 Acts 1:8 Jn 14:16-18, 23; Jn 16:7-15), and this promise was partially fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4+). The ultimate fulfillment of the promise (given initially to Israel and Judah - Jer 31:31) will be when the Messiah returns to establish His kingdom on earth (Millennium) at the end of the Great Tribulation (see Ro 11:26, 27-note, cp Zechariah 12:10-14+, Zechariah 13:1, 8,9+). Brian Bell explains that "The Law was never given to impart life because it produced a legal relationship between God and man. It basically said, “keep these laws if you want to maintain relationship with God.” God was the Judge and man was the criminal, forever in default before the bar of God’s judgment. The OT law was deadly because it killed Hope (just frustrated man), killed life (for it only brought condemnation), and killed strength (for it could only “tell” a person what to do, but gave them no power to “do it”!) The New Cov. Was much different! It is a relationship of Love! It is no longer a Judge-criminal relationship; but now a Father-son relationship! It changes a man not imposing a new law but by changing his heart! It not only tells man what to do but gives him power to do it (via the Holy Spirit) The Old Cov. wasn’t a bad thing; it was a step on the way! “When the sun rises the lamp is no longer needed!” Some still bring the lamp out in the sun though! (2 Corinthians 3 Sermon Notes) In Romans 6 Paul previews the new relationship (for those who have entered the New Covenant by grace through faith) believers have with the Law explaining... For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. (Ro 6:14+) Then in Romans 7 Paul went to explain... Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. (Ro 7:4,5+) Comment: Notice the effect of the Law in verse 5 - it arouses the fallen flesh. The practical application is that when we make a list of do's and don'ts we are potentially falling into a subtle trap of legalism and arousing our old flesh nature instead of overcoming it! Henry Alford - The letter (mere formal and literal precept of the law) kills - as in Romans 7 where it brings knowledge of sin, its guilt and its punishment. The reference is not to natural death, which is the result of sin even where there is no law. (The New Testament for English Readers) James Denney is likely correct when he writes that "All that Paul says in the Epistles to the Romans and the Galatians about the working of the law, in its relation to the flesh, is represented in “the letter kills.” The power of the law to create the consciousness of sin and to intensify it; to stimulate transgression, and so make sin exceeding sinful, and shut men up in despair; to pass sentence upon the guilty, the hopeless sentence of death, — all this is involved in the words ("the letter kills"). (2 Corinthians 3) John
2 Coríntios 3:5-6
Robertson explains that the idea of these two prepositional phrases is... "starting from ourselves (reflexive pronoun = heauton)...He says it over again with preposition ex (out of). He has no originating power for such confidence." Pulpit Commentary adds that Paul...cannot bear the implication that any “confidence” on his part rests on anything short of the over-whelming sense that he is but an agent, or rather nothing but an instrument, in the hands of God. He has, indeed, the capacity to form adequate judgments about his work, but it does not come from his own resources (aph' heauton) or his own independent origination (ex heauton). (2 Corinthians 3) Consider (3049) (logizomai rom lógos = reason, word, account) means to reason, to reckon, to calculate, to take into account, to deliberate, to weigh. Logizomai refers to a process of careful study or reasoning which finally arrives at a conclusion. Logizomai was a term frequently used in the business community of Paul's day meaning to impute (put to one's account) or credit to one's account (the classic example being Abraham's faith "reckoned" or imputed as righteousness - logizomai used 11x in one chapter! = Ro 4:3+, Ro 4:9+, Ro 4:10, 11+, Ro 4:22-24+ cp Ro 4:4-8).
2 Coríntios 3:7-11
Robertson - "Christ as the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2+) has thrown Moses in the shade. Compare the claims of superiority by Christ in Matthew 5 to 7 (the Sermon on the Mount). (2 Corinthians 3) Surpasses (5235) (huperballo from huper = above + ballo = cast, put) literally means throw beyond the usual mark which came to describe a degree which exceeds extraordinary. Synonyms include exceeding, extraordinary, extreme, supreme, far more, much greater, to a far greater degree. Huperballo only 5x in NT (note in each what is "surpassing"!) - 2 Co. 3:10; 2 Co. 9:14 = "the surpassing grace of God in you"; Eph. 1:19 "the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe."; Eph. 2:7 = "in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness"; Eph. 3:19 = "to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge" Beet comments that "The Old Covenant belongs to the category of objects glorious in themselves which lose their glory by the surpassing splendor of some brighter object. Just so the moon is as bright after sunrise as before: but, practically, its brightness is completely set aside by that of the sun. It is so in the matter of the Old Covenant. In it is illustrated the general principle, the glorified is not glorified because of the surpassing glory. The brightness of Moses’ face revealed the splendor of his ministry. And while we look at his ministry alone, amid the darkness of surrounding night (Ed: cp the spiritual darkness of the unsaved world), it is in our eyes covered with glory. But when we compare it with the ministry which proclaims righteousness for men whom the Law condemned, and which imparts, not letters graven on stones, but the abiding presence of the life-giving Spirit, the glory of the former covenant fades utterly, and we think only of the greater splendor of the ministry of the New Covenant. This strengthens immensely the argument of 2Co 3:7, 8. If a supernatural brightness attested the grandeur of the Old Covenant, and if the Old Covenant now sinks into insignificance in presence of the New, surely an infinite splendor belongs to, and therefore awaits, the ministry of the New Covenant. For nothing less than infinite splendor can throw into the shade the splendor of the Old Covenant. (A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistles to the Corinthians - Chapter 3) John
2 Coríntios 3:7-11
Robertson comments "This claim may be recommended to those who clamour for a new religion. Christianity is still alive and is not dying." (He adds) Love of the external killed the inner life and crucified Jesus of Nazareth for His emphasis on the spiritual life and rebuke of the mere ceremonialism of the Scribes and Pharisees. Stephen went the way of Jesus when he rebuked the Pharisees for their perversion of real religion and sought to give the spiritual interpretation of the Kingdom of God as expounded by Jesus. Paul turned from persecuting Pharisee to spiritual interpreter of Jesus and took the place of Stephen in whose death he had rejoiced. Jesus and Stephen fought official Pharisaism in the current Judaism. Paul took up the battle with Pharisaism within the Christian fold which was speaking to put the fetters...seeking to put the fetters of their perverted Judaism upon the Christianity of Jesus. The one hope of rescue for the soul of man was in jeopardy. Paul's soul was stirred to its depths and he met the issue with all the force of his nature. He is in the thick of the fight with these Judaizing Christians who were attempting to destroy spiritual Christianity when he draws the contrast here between Judaism and Christianity, the battle between the bondage of legalism and spiritual Christianity has never ceased. Paul set up his standard in 2 Corinthians, Galatians and Romans. Martin Luther took it up hundreds of years afterwards and the peril is always real. (2 Corinthians 3) Fades (present tense)(2673)(katargeo from kata = intensifies meaning + argeo = to be idle or inactive from argos = ineffective, idle, inactive from a = without + érgon = work) literally means to reduce to inactivity or to cause something to come to an end, in this case the Old Covenant. Katargeo is a key word in chapter 3 occurring 4x (26 total) - 2 Co. 3:7; 2 Co. 3:11; 2 Co. 3:13; 2 Co. 3:14
2 Coríntios 3:15-17
Robertson adds that a veil lies over their heart is a "Vivid and distressing picture, a fact that caused Paul agony of heart (Ro 9:1-5). With wilful blindness the rabbis set aside the word of God by their tradition in the time of Jesus (Mark 7:8, 9)" (2 Corinthians 3) In Ephesians Paul explains that our "spiritual heart" has "eyes" (Eph 1:18). In 2Co 4:4 Paul says their "spiritual vision" has been blinded by Satan because they have refused to believe the Gospel. And so in the present passage Paul is saying that the eyes of the heart of the Jews cannot see because they have been blinded (the veil obstructs their vision). Paul was sent by Jesus to preach the gospel to open their eyes ("spiritual eyes" of their heart and mind) so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins (one of the great promises of the New Covenant Mt 26:28) and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in" Christ (Acts 26:18).
2 Coríntios 3:18
Robertson - In Philo (Legis Alleg. iii. 33) the word katoptrizomai means beholding as in a mirror and that idea suits also the figure in 1Co 13:12+. There is an inscription of third century BC with egkatoptrisasthai eis to hudōr, to look at one’s reflection in the water. Plutarch uses the active sense for mirroring or reflecting and Chrysostom takes it so here. Either makes good sense. The point that Paul is making is that we shall not lose the glory as Moses did. (2 Corinthians 3) New American Bible note ("All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.") - Gazing: the verb may also be translated "contemplating as in a mirror"; 2Cor 4:6+ would suggest that the mirror is Christ Himself (ED: NOTE THAT CHRIST IS ALSO THE WORD! Jn 1:1,14+, WORD OF LIFE - 1Jn 1:1+). John MacArthur distinguishes between the glory of God in the creation (general revelation as in Ps 19:1,2) and the glory of God in the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ (special revelation - see discussion of general vs special revelation)… While the creation reveals certain truths about God (Ro 1:20-note), those truths are insufficient to save. A saving knowledge of God comes only through Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12+; Ro 1:16-note). Unlike old covenant believers, every new covenant believer can gaze into the face of Christ with an unveiled face… All three aspects of salvation—justification, sanctification, and glorification—involve looking to Jesus. Believers’ new life in Christ begins when they look into His face and embrace Him as Lord and Savior. But just as they look to Him for justification, so also must they look to Him for sanctification, which involves “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (He 12:2+) and discerning the mind of Christ from Scripture (1Co 2:16+), because “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1Jn 2:6+). Ultimately, at glorification Christ “will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Php 3:21-+). (2Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press) Henry
2 Coríntios 3:18
Robertson comments that believers are being transformed "into the likeness of God in Christ" a process that will be consummated in the future as alluded to in several glorious (pun intended) NT Scriptures… Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1 Jn 3:2). When Christ our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Col 3:4). As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1Co 15:48-53) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Ro 8:17). For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren (Ro 8:29). CHRISTLIKENESS: A PROCESS NOT A CRISIS! From glory to glory - In other words the change is from one degree of glory to another, the bondservant gradually becoming more and more like the Master (another translation of kurios), Christ Jesus. Looking at Him (today in His Word) we become like Him! Amazing, miraculous grace! This is a gradual, progressive process and is not an instant change. Beloved, there is no experience in the believer's life that will reproduce the image of the glory of Christ in a moment. The Christian life is often likened to a race, not a short dash but a lifelong "marathon", calling for daily discipline and persistent perseverance. Do not be discouraged by your "bad days". Confess, repent, seek His face in His Word and by prayer and move forward, forgetting what lies behind and pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Php 3:13-note, Php 3:14-note). It is too soon to quit dear believer! Remember that Christlikeness is a process, not a crisis. It takes a lifetime but it is oh so worth it for the resultant glory bestowed by our Lord will last forever! In short, the fading glory under the Old Covenant (2Co 3:13), dramatically contrasts the saint's ever-increasing glory in the New Covenant. I like Alfred Plummer's comment on glory to glory… There is no fading away, as in the case of Moses, for it is no superficial glory. It penetrates to the spiritual nature of the inner man and makes that, like the Lord from Whom it comes, a source of light (cp Col 1:27). Yet it is no sudden change, completed, as if by magic, in an instant; that might end in stagnation. It is a continual and gradual progress, ‘from strength to strength’ (Ps 84:7), ‘shining more and more unto the perfect day’ (Pr 4:18). It passes on from this world to the next, from what is temporal to what is eternal. (2 Corinthians 3:18 Commentary - The Critical & Exegetical Commentary) As Matthew Henry said we are being transformed… from one degree of glorious grace unto another, till grace here be consummated in glory for ever. How much therefore should Christians prize and improve these privileges! We should not rest contented without an experimental knowledge of the transforming power of the gospel, by the operation of the Spirit, bringing us into a conformity to the temper and tendency of the glorious gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The more time you spend with Christ, the more you will be like Christ. Glory (1391)(doxa from dokeo = to think) in simple terms means to give a proper opinion or estimate of something and thus the glory of God expresses all that He is in His Being and in His nature, character, power and acts. He is glorified when He is allowed to be seen as He really is. To be where God is will be glory. To be what God intended will be glory. To do what God purposed will be glory. Believers today have the holy privilege of living in such a (supernatural, inexplicable to natural thinking) way, that others (believers and unbelievers alike) see this supernatural life which gives a proper opinion of the unseen, supernatural Father in heaven (Mt 5:16-note where the verb doxazo is used). As someone has well said a concern for the glory of God is the ultimate motive for Christian living. J Gresham Machen has a similar thought remarking that "The ultimate end of all things that come to pass, including the ultimate end of the great drama of redemption, is found in the glory of the eternal God." The very fact that the chief aim of God is to glorify Himself, makes it all the more incredible that He would choose to use redeemed sinners to be His lights as windows of His glory in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Php 2:15)! Doxa is used repeatedly in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) to describe the (Shekinah) glory of God. For example at Mt Sinai "the appearance of the glory (LXX = doxa) of Jehovah was like a consuming fire on the mountain top." (Ex 24:17) The Pulpit Commentary comments that… Our spiritual assimilation to Christ comes from his glory and issues in a glory like his (1Co 15:51; comp. “from strength to strength,” Ps 84:7). (For the thought, compare 1Jn 3:2.)… Christ-like glory. “But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,” etc. 1. The glory of Christ was the glory of moral excellence. He was the “brightness of his Father’s glory.” 2. The glory of Christ is communicable. It comes to man through transformation “changed into the same image.” 3. The glory of Christ which comes to man is progressive: “from glory to glory.” The gospel alone can make men glorious.(2 Corinthians 3 Commentary) Homily - Glory to Glory - We are changed “from glory to glory.” “The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,” so that we realize more and more clearly the consistency of the Divine righteousness in our justification, and the righteousness formed in our souls by the Spirit. We know why we are pardoned and by whom renewed, and, as we advance into new stages of experience, the past work of grace is rendered more and more intelligible. Current experiences leave much unexplained. Infancy, childhood, youth, in religious life are not fully comprehended till the interpretative light of manhood is thrown back upon them. “From glory to glory” -- this is true of every Christian virtue. At first we are timid in confessing Christ before the world; the cross is heavy; self-denial is often very painful; the remains of the carnal mind are yet strong enough to resist when some onerous task is put upon us; but in time we gain strength, and in time are able to run and not weary, to walk and not faint. It is “from strength to strength,” as the psalmist sang long ago. Take the virtue of patience; what years are needed to acquire it in any large degree! St. Peter says, “Add to your faith, virtue,” (2Pe 1:5-note) etc.; keep up the supply, and exercise all diligence in building up one virtue by means of another. Again, “Grow in grace” (2Pe 3:18-note) if growth stops, grace stops. “From glory to glory” -- Temptations that had to be fought against, and sometimes ineffectually, twenty years ago, trouble us no longer. Infirmities are less infirm. Mysteries that used to perplex have ceased to disturb. People whose presence was an annoyance can be borne with. Irritations, recurring daily, have lost their power to ruffle the temper. Many a crooked way has been made straight, many a rough place smooth, many a darkened spot bright, to our steps. “From glory to glory” -- Grace has worked its way down into our instincts and begun their fuller development. Thence comes the white light so grateful to sight and so helpful. It is reflected upon the intellect, the sense-organs, the outward world, and dissipates the occasional gloom that falls upon us when Satan’s “It is written” obscures our perceptions, or when the logic of the sense-intellect gathers its mists about our pathway. Blessed hours of illumination are those which attend the later stages of grace penetrating the depths of instinct. Doubts are over; for we know whom we have believed. “From glory to glory” -- Gradually our hearts are detached from the world, and, while its beauty and love and tenderness are none the less, they are seen as parts of a higher life and a remoter sphere. Afflictions, once “grievous,” yield “the peaceable fruit of righteousness;” for the “afterward” has come, and what an “afterward”! To be reconciled to the cross of pain; to glory in the cross of the Divine Sufferer; to die to self as we die when the Man of sorrows becomes the Christ of our instincts; to say, “Thy will be done” with no half-way utterance, but from the heart, and submit not only willingly but gladly to whatever it may please Providence to ordain;—this indeed is proof that we have advanced “from glory to glory.”—L .(2 Corinthians 3 Commentary) Homily - The Glorious Transformation. An exulting joy seems to have moved the soul of the apostle, when he meditated upon the present immunities and honours, and upon the prospects of future blessedness and glory which, through Christ, belong to all true believers and followers of the Lord. A kind of spiritual exhilaration pervades and exalts his spirit, and adds eloquence and poetry to his enraptured language. I. Uninterrupted vision. The figure of the veil continues to haunt the mind of the inspired writer, even after it has answered the purpose of its first introduction. Associating his brethren in the faith with himself, he affirms, concerning Christians, that the veil was in their case removed, so that for them was actually realized a wonderful approach to the unseen Saviour. Before their enlightenment by the Spirit of God, the scales were upon their eyes and the veil was before their countenance. Now, in Heaven’s light they see light. The sin, the prejudice, the unbelief, which hid the Saviour from their view, have been removed, and nothing comes between the soul and its Saviour. II. Spiritual reflection. Instead of the countenance being concealed by a veil, it is, in the case of true Christians, converted into a mirror, which receives and then reflects the rays of light. Thus the glory of the Lord, which is ever manifested in nature, and which shone in the face of our incarnate Redeemer, is gathered up and given forth by the renewed and purified character of the Christian. This is a moral process. A spiritual nature alone is capable of attracting and receiving such light, alone is capable of giving it forth in uncontaminated, though reflected, rays. Thus the disciple mirrors the Teacher and the servant mirrors the Lord. We are living representatives of the Divine Head. III. Glorious transformation. Faith in Christ and fellowship with Christ are the forces which produce assimilation to Christ. The image which is beheld seems to infix itself upon the mirror-like soul that receives it. The life of faith thus serves to carry on a gradual process of spiritual assimilation. The progression is denoted by the phrase, “from glory to glory,” by which we understand, not earthly splendour, but spiritual excellence and perfection. And the agency is indicated by the expression here used, “as by the Lord the Spirit.” Because he is the Spirit, the Lord has access to the heart, and renews, hallows, and glorifies the nature to which he makes himself graciously and divinely known. And there seems to be no limit to this most blessed process. In fact, the future state appears to offer the most amazing scope for its continuation: “We shall be like Christ; for we shall see him as he is.”—T. (2 Corinthians 3 Commentary) Excerpt from Homily - The Christian Transfiguration… III. The transforming power of such contemplation. “Changed into the same image.” A moral metamorphosis is wrought, not magically as by a spell or charm, but in the manner proper to a moral nature, by the moulding influence of a new habit of thought and affection. This proceeds on the well-known principle that, Whatever we look upon with frequency and with congenial feeling, stamps itself on our minds and characters. He who looks upon evil becomes evil. He who occupies himself with trifles grows trivial. He who associates with the wise grows wise. He who admires the good himself becomes good. So likewise he who beholds the pure and gracious image of God in the face of Jesus Christ is changed insensibly into that image, learns to think the thoughts of God and to exhibit the mind of Christ. Two important features of this great change are indicated in the text. 1. It is a progressive one. “From glory to glory.” No doubt, if we could abide continually under the radiance of Christ, his glory would transform us more rapidly and completely than is the experience of average Christians. And we must not dwell on the idea of gradualness so as to excuse a low level of Christian attainment. But the truth lies here, that, as we receive out of Christ’s fulness grace for grace, so are we transformed into his likeness from glory to glory, the light of the Lord gaining upon us and dispelling all the darkness until we are “light in the Lord.” 2. While this change follows a law of moral influence, it is produced by the active operation or a Divine power—“as by the Lord the Spirit.” The reference is to the Lord Jesus as “a quickening Spirit,” who is here brought into contrast with Moses, the minister of the killing “letter.” At the same time, we know from other Scriptures that the Lord pervades his Church on earth and renews men in His own image by the gracious presence and work of the Holy Ghost. Without this doctrine of spiritual operation, both direct and indirect, we fail to apprehend the transforming power of a pure Christianity. (2 Corinthians 3 Commentary) A FACE LIKE AN ANGEL J N Darby describes the change in Stephen (Acts 6:15+) as he beheld the glorified Lord Jesus… We see it in Stephen when he is stoned, and he looks up and sees the glory of God and Jesus (Acts 7:55, 56+). Christ had said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”; and the view of Jesus in the glory of God draws from Stephen the prayer, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” (Acts 7:60+) And again on the cross, Christ says, “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit”; and Stephen says, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:59+) He is changed into Christ’s image. Kenneth Chafin in his notes on 2Cor 3:18 writes that "There is always the danger of legalism for each of us. We are tempted to love the Bible and not the God to whom it witnesses. We can join the church, whatever the process, without entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Often an individual will conform to what is called a “Christian lifestyle” and never have his or her heart changed. Consequently, there is always the danger that one would have all the trappings of religion and not know the love and joy and freedom that is in Christ. (Chafin, K. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. . Vol. 30: The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 30 : 1, 2 Corinthians) TRUE ILLUSTRATIONS OF MEN WHO WERE TRANSFORMED FROM GLORY TO GLORY (1) ADONIRAM JUDSON (SHORT BIOGRAPHY) - was "The sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him (Jesus) in every place." (2Cor 2:14) Many years ago when the great missionary Adoniram Judson was home on furlough, he passed through the city of Stonington, Connecticut. A young boy playing about the wharves at the time of Judson’s arrival was struck by the man’s appearance. Never before had he seen such a light on any human face. He ran up the street to a minister to ask if he knew who the stranger was. The minister hurried back with him, but became so absorbed in conversation with Judson that he forgot all about the impatient youngster standing near him. Many years afterward that boy—who could never get away from the influence of that wonderful face—became the famous preacher Henry Clay Trumbull (Read The life story of Henry Clay Trumbull, missionary, army chaplain, editor, author - 1905) (See also his fascinating book The Blood Covenant). In a book of memoirs he penned a chapter entitled: "What a Boy Saw in the Face of Adoniram Judson." That lighted countenance had changed his life. Even as flowers thrive when they bend to the light, so shining, radiant faces come to those who constantly turn toward Christ! (Read the original story in context of H C Trumbull's life story) (2) Here is a modern example of the impact of 2Cor 3:18 in a man being transformed from glory to glory. You must listen to this testimony by Joyhn MacArthur before a group of College students - If nothing else listen to the first 15 minutes. You will not regret it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urXa0biUUB4&t=1013s (3) John