What does the "veil" symbolize in 2 Corinthians 3:15? The Text at a Glance 2 Corinthians 3:15: “And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.” What the Veil Represents • Spiritual blindness that prevents seeing Christ in the Scriptures • A hardened heart that resists the new covenant (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14) • Separation from the glory of God until one turns to the Lord Roots of the Image: Moses and the Old Covenant • Exodus 34:33-35—Moses veiled his shining face so Israel would not gaze on the fading glory • That historical veil becomes a picture of Israel’s present inability to perceive the enduring glory of Christ • The veil therefore speaks of a temporary, fading arrangement contrasted with the lasting glory revealed in Jesus How the Veil Functions Today • Whenever “Moses is read”—that is, when the Law is approached without faith in Christ—the same covering remains • 2 Corinthians 4:3-4—“If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing”; Satan blinds minds to keep them from “seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” • John 5:39-40—Searching the Scriptures without coming to Jesus leaves the reader in darkness Christ: The Only Remedy • 2 Corinthians 3:16—“Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” Conversion to Christ instantly removes the barrier • Isaiah 25:7—God promises to “destroy the shroud” cast over the nations, fulfilled in the risen Savior • Luke 24:27, 45—The risen Christ opens the Scriptures and the minds of His disciples, unveiling Himself in the Law and the Prophets Living with an Unveiled Heart • Freedom—“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17) • Transformation—“We all, with unveiled faces contemplating the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18) • Bold witness—An unveiled heart speaks plainly about Christ, no longer hiding God’s glory (2 Corinthians 4:2) The veil in 2 Corinthians 3:15 symbolizes the spiritual covering that blinds hearts to the glory of Christ revealed in Scripture; only turning to the Lord removes it, granting sight, freedom, and transformation. |
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