3Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or like some, do we need letters of recommendation to you or from you?G756G3825G4921G1438G1508G5535G5613G5100G1992G4956G4314G5209G2228G4956G1537G52162You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone,G5210G2075G2257G1992G1449G1722G2257G2588G1097G2532G314G5259G3956G4443since it is plain that you are Christ's letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.G5319G3754G2075G1992G5547G1247G5259G2257G1449G3756G3188G235G4151G2198G2316G3756G1722G4109G3035G235G1722G4560G4109G2588
Paul’s Competence
4We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ:G1161G5108G4006G2192G1223G5547G4314G23165not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.G3756G3754G2070G2425G575G1438G3049G5100G5613G1537G1438G235G2257G2426G1537G23166He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.G3739G2532G2427G2248G2427G1249G2537G1242G3756G1121G235G4151G1063G1121G615G1161G4151G2227
New Covenant Ministry
7Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look directly at Moses' face because of the glory from his face— a fading [glory]—G1161G1487G1248G2288G1722G1121G1795G1722G3037G1096G1722G1391G5620G5207G2474G1410G3361G816G1519G4383G3475G1223G1391G846G4383G3588G26738how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?G4459G1248G3780G1248G4151G2071G3123G1722G13919For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory.G1063G1487G1248G2633G1391G4183G3123G1248G1343G4052G1722G139110In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious in this case because of the glory that surpasses it.G1063G2532G1392G3761G1392G1722G5129G3313G1752G1391G523511For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.G1063G1487G2673G1223G1391G4183G3123G3306G1722G139112Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness—G3767G2192G5108G1680G5530G4183G395413not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel could not look at the end of what was fading away.G2532G3756G2509G3475G5087G2571G1909G1438G4383G4314G5207G2474G816G3361G816G1519G5056G267314But their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside [only] in Christ.G235G846G3540G4456G1063G891G4594G3306G846G2571G3361G343G1909G320G3820G1242G3748G2673G1722G554715However, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts,G235G2193G4594G2259G3475G314G2571G2749G1909G846G258816but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.G1161G2259G302G1994G4314G2962G2571G401417Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.G1161G2962G2076G4151G1161G3757G4151G2962G1563G165718We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.G1161G2249G3956G343G4383G2734G1391G2962G3339G846G1504G575G1391G1519G1391G2509G575G4151G2962
Dublin, OH
