2 Corinthians 3:12-18 – With Unveiled Faces!
Moses put a veil on his face because of the glory that was represented by the giving of the law. But Paul now gives a second reason for the veil. Not only could the Israelites not look steadily at the brilliant glory, but what they were looking at was passing away. John Calvin says that the passing away of the glory on Moses’ face prefigured the fact that the law could not save. The Israelites could not rest in the giving of the law. They were not supposed to put their trust in their keeping of the law. Salvation is through faith in the righteous Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the one who kept the law for us. All of those things given in the Old Covenant were pointing forward to the surpassing glory of Jesus Christ. And the fading glory of that which was passing away is represented by the veil in this passage. That veil remains today. Are there other approaches to eternal life today? Yes. There are veils of legalism, of salvation by works, or trusting in something else other than Christ. Anything that would come between you and Christ is a veil.
The veil in this passage also represents blindness. The blindness stands for unbelief. Moses was preaching and teaching about the coming of the Messiah. All of those sacrifices were pointing forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And yet, the Jews’ hearts and minds were blind. They were filled with unbelief, not trusting in the coming Saviour. There’s a very specific application that Paul has here towards the Jews who rejected the Messiah and who were looking for salvation by their keeping of the law. But are the non-Jews any more enlightened? The Jews have the bright light of the glory of God’s law given to them, and yet they in unbelief were blind to the Messiah. But we today have the message of Jesus Christ preached and the law of God written on our hearts. And yet many still have a veil of blindness and unbelief.
The third thing the veil represents is separation. Moses went up on the mountain to speak with God and as he came back, his face was shining because he’d been in the presence of the Lord. One reason that the Israelites couldn’t look on that glory is because of unholiness. There is a separation that exists because of sin. The Israelites understood that God is holy and we are not. How in the world can we come into the presence of a holy God? God has made a way for sinners to be saved and to come into His presence. And that way is through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Paul says that you, the church, are brought by Christ and by the indwelling Spirit of God into the presence of the Lord without any veil.
Question
- What does the veil represent?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that we can come before God through Christ.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.