What is the meaning of 2 Corinthians 3:10? Indeed • Scripture speaks with absolute certainty. “Indeed” anchors Paul’s statement in an irrefutable reality, echoing the confidence he just expressed: “Such confidence we have through Christ before God” (2 Corinthians 3:4). • The Spirit-inspired nature of the text guarantees its trustworthiness (2 Timothy 3:16). • Because God’s Word cannot fail (Isaiah 55:11), every believer can rest on what follows without hesitation. what was once glorious • Paul refers to the Mosaic covenant, written “in letters on stone” (2 Corinthians 3:7). • That covenant truly carried God’s glory—so much that Moses’ face shone (Exodus 34:29-35). • Old-covenant glory revealed God’s holiness, the seriousness of sin, and the need for atonement (Leviticus 16; Galatians 3:24). • Yet it was always temporary and anticipatory, “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1). has no glory now • The issue is not absence of any past glory but its present standing. • Once the greater light arrives, the lesser fades: think of the stars disappearing at sunrise (Malachi 4:2). • By calling the old glory “no glory now,” Paul underlines its fulfilled purpose; it no longer stands as the primary means of relating to God (Romans 10:4; Hebrews 8:13). • Clinging to the obsolete covenant would be like insisting on using a candle at noon. in comparison • The key is the standard of measurement. When the yardstick changes, the evaluation changes. • Paul compares covenants, not denigrating God’s former work but showing progression (2 Corinthians 3:9, “if the ministry that condemned men was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!”). • Scripture often uses comparison to teach growth in revelation: law versus grace (John 1:17), type versus fulfillment (Colossians 2:17). to the glory that surpasses it • The new covenant, sealed by Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20), is the surpassing glory. • It brings the indwelling Spirit who “gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 8:2). • Its privileges are permanent and transformative: – Hearts of flesh replace hearts of stone (Ezekiel 36:26-27). – Righteousness is credited apart from works (Romans 4:5-8). – Believers behold “the glory of the Lord” and are “transformed into His image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). • No veil remains; open access to God is secured (Hebrews 10:19-22). summary 2 Corinthians 3:10 teaches that while the Mosaic covenant truly radiated divine glory, it has been completely outshone by the new covenant in Christ. The old pointed to sin’s seriousness; the new provides full forgiveness and Spirit-empowered life. Measured against the brilliant, lasting glory of Christ’s finished work, the former glory now fades into insignificance, inviting every believer to live confidently in the surpassing glory that will never dim. |
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