I know we're breaking in Paul's
thought, but for the sake of time, verse 7, he gets down to
his point here, the comparison between the law and the gospel.
And he says in verse 7, but if the ministration of death written
and engraven in stones as glorious, so that the children of Israel
could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses or the glory
of his countenance, which glory was to be done away, how shall
not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the
ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that
which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason
of the glory that excelled. For if that which is done away
was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such
hope, we use plainness of speech. Not as Moses, which put a veil
over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly
look to the end of that which was abolished. But their minds
were blinded, for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken
away in the reading of the Old Testament which is done away
in Christ. For even unto this day, when
Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when
it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face, beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, or changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
Now, in this chapter, Paul will make one of the greater contrasts
to be found anywhere in his writing in the New Testament. And we
will learn something here. that though one thing may be
glorious and have a glorious history and a glorious past,
yet another thing may be more glorious. And it may so exceed
it that the former actually seems to have no glory at all. I think of an example, I've used
it a few times, and that is that the sun, the moon, or rather
the moon and the stars have a certain glory. to have a certain brightness
about them, which best or only is seen, however, in the darkness
of the night. But when the sun comes out of
its chamber, like a man to run a race, as is described over
in Psalms chapter 19, then the magnificent brightness of the
sun, so overshadowed and eclipsed the combined brightness of the
moon and the star, that they're actually as if they had no glory
at all. We might think of another example
of a candle or a lamp. They give us enough light to
walk by in the darkness of the night, but when the sun is risen,
The candle is as if it had no light at all. So what is a candle
then compared to the light of the sun? In Hebrews chapter 3
and verses 1 through 6, this man, meaning the Lord Jesus Christ,
was counted worthy of more honor or glory than Moses upon this
principle, that the one who builds the house has greater glory than
the house. But before Paul can declare the
excellency and the glory of the gospel ministration over that
of the law, he must defect, first of all, a criticism that was
constantly aimed at him, and that is, that he boasted of his
achievement, that he boasted of his doctrine and such like,
as if he had a monopoly upon the truth. But Paul deflects
that criticism by saying that he did not need letters of recommendation
or commendation from others because actually the Corinthians themselves
were his letters of commendation. As if to say unto them, you believers
are my epistle of Christ, written not with ink, but inscribed by
the Holy Spirit, and not written upon stone or rock, but engraven
upon the fleshly tables of the heart." And then in verse 5 of
our chapter he said, we do not think ourselves sufficient, for
our sufficiency is from God. And then in verse 6, who God
has made us able ministers of the New Testament. And the word
able has the idea in it of competent or qualified. He has made us
competent or qualified minister. Furthermore, this ministry that
Paul had was not a ministry of the law, but it was a ministry
of the New Testament or of the Gospel. Not according to the
letter. He was not a minister of the
law. Not the mosaic dispensation,
but of the Christian. So we see in the second half
of the sixth verse here in this chapter, Paul draws a very clear
contrast between the two ministrations, that his ministry was not after
or of the letter but of the Spirit." Notice what he said. The letter
kills, but the Spirit giveth life. Do we know exactly what
Paul means here when he uses the expression, the letter? Well,
from the present context and from other contexts, it seems
clear that he refers to the law, to the mosaic, dispensation,
or the old economy. Romans 7 and verse 6, he seems
to use law and letter interchangeably there in that passage of the
scripture as being synonymous. And he wrote there, but now we
are delivered from the law that being dead unto that where when
we were held that we should serve in newness of the spirit not
in the oldness of the letter. So if the letter be a reference
to the law as it seems here that it certainly is, It could only
refer to the fact that the law was written upon cold, lifeless
stones that Moses carried into the mount, while the Spirit applies
the gospel to the heart, to the very inner soul and being of
those who are called into salvation by Christ. But back here in 2
Corinthians 3, what Paul says in the 6th verse, and that is
that the letter kills. It works death. It seems very
clear that he refers to the law here because of what he says
in the middle of verse 7. Written and engraven in stone. written in letters in or upon
stone. The letter, he says, killed. And then let us notice two statements
in the following verses referring definitely to the law beyond
question. Look at verse 7. He calls it
the ministration of death, or if you will, the ministry of
death, that it was a ministry of death. And in verse 9, he
calls it the ministry of condemnation. And yet, in both verse 7 and
in verse 9, Paul attributes a certain glory unto the law. Verse 7,
look at it. The ministration that bringeth
death came with glory. And in verse 9, the ministration
that condemns me glory." Paul is laying the foundation to say,
as glorious as the law was, its glory is nothing in comparison
to the glory of the gospel. And again, to use that imagery
of a candle and a midday sun, if we keep that in our mind.
Paul concedes to them, he concedes to the Jew, that the law had
its glory. It came in or with glory. And he mentions one aspect of
the law, the radiant countenance or face of Moses as he came down
from the mount out of the presence of God. When he brought the tablets
of stone written and engraved there by the finger of God down
from the mount. You have this in Exodus 34, 29
through verse 35. Even though Moses was not aware,
quote, the skin of his face shone, unquote. He had been in the presence
of the Lord. And because of the glowing face
of Moses, Aaron and the congregation were afraid to go near or to
have Moses come near unto them. So Moses spoke with the people
the things of God. He put a veil over his face to
veil the shining of his face as he came out of the presence
of God. So Paul's concession is the ministration
of death was glorious. because when Moses came, having
received it directly from God, his face lit up in a way not
normal or not usual. Not to get sidetracked here,
but also to remember the transfiguration of our Lord and the effect that
it had upon those that were with him that day. in the mount. Not only did the people fear,
but in Hebrews chapter 12, 18 through 21, in the 21st verse,
so terrible was the sight that Moses even said, I exceedingly
fear and quake. You can read an account of this
in Exodus chapter 19, verse 16 through 20. When the law was
given at Sinai, There was thundering. There was lightning. There was
a thick cloud that came and, as it were, set over the mount. The voice of an exceeding loud
trumpet was heard at that time. And the people all began to tremble
and to fear and even to think they might die. Smoke covered
the mountain like a furnace. The whole mountain shook greatly
and quaked before them. And the voice of God was heard
on that occasion. Not only that, but in some way
the angels of God were involved in this, Acts 7 and verse 53. And we ask, what effect did this
have then upon the people? How did they react? What was
their response when they saw these things? Did they cry out,
Hallelujah! Glory to God! We have seen the
glory of the Lord! Did they clap their hands and
wave and shout and laugh and dance around the foot of the
mount? Did they rush upon the mount
so as to be engulfed up in the glory that was before them. Not
at all. The reaction was they trembled. They feared. And in Exodus chapter
20 and 21, the people stood back and stood afar off. They kept
a distance while Moses ascended a mountain to be in the presence
of God and then to come back into their presence. What was
their thought? Were they overjoyed that the
voice of God had thundered out from them in the mountain. Did
they think, boy, we are richly blessed. It's good to be here.
I'm glad I've seen this glorious experience. Well, I say no, not
by the hair of your chinny-chin-chin. In Exodus chapter 20 and verse
19, the people said, let not God speak with us lest we die. That was their fear. Deuteronomy
5.25. Why should we die? For their
great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord
our God anymore, we shall die. It was a day in which God terrified
Israel. Never in all their history, perhaps,
were they more terrified than on that day. And it was calculated
by the sovereign and all-wise God to produce a profound and
lasting effect upon the minds and the heart of the people.
They never forget it the longest day they live and pass it on
generation to generation and down under their children. And
consider this irony. And while those who witnessed
the giving of the law feared that they would die, their ancestors
and those that followed after them sought to obtain everlasting
life by means of this very same law that once they feared would
cause their death. How foolish it is! for a sinner
to rush upon Mount Sinai and expect salvation and life and
justification by the law. Here Paul in our text again called
it a ministry of death in verse 7 and a ministry of condemnation
in verse 9. That in spite of the glory manifested
in the initial giving of the law and the trailing glory of
the law, it is still a ministry of death. There is no expectation
of life from the law for its glory was to be done away in
verse 7. Now contrast that with the gospel.
And there are two truths here that stand out about these things. Number one, there is a glory
attached to the gospel that far exceeds that glory attached unto
the law. And secondly, there is a life
and righteousness through the ministry of the gospel as opposed
to death and condemnation through the ministry of the law. And
Paul carries the comparison or contrast, if you will, between
these two glories, that though both are glorious, yet one is
done away with. And in King James, it is being
done away. It is fading. It is passing away. And Paul mentions this twice,
in the end of verse 7, in the beginning of verse 11, and verse
13, abolished is the word that comes before him. The other remains,
verse 11, that which remains. It endures. It lasts. It abides. It does so in glory. Its abiding
is in glory. For if the ministry of condemnation
and of death be glorious, how much more glorious is that that
results in righteousness and justification? Which is more
glorious, that which produces death or that which gives life? which is greater, that which
vanishes away or that which abides and stays, which is more glorious,
that that came by Moses or that that came by and through Jesus
Christ." Now, let's focus there on verse 10 for a bit. For Paul
wishes to emphasize the excelling glory of Christ in the gospel
over the glory of Moses and the law. And he says this, for even
that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect
by reason of a glory that excels it or exceeds it. Now the gist
of the verse is, the glory of the gospel so excels in excellence
the glory of the law, that the glory of the law then becomes
as if it were non-existent. And when the two respective glories
are juxtaposed, when compared, when laid side by side, like
the star and the sun or the candle and the sun, when they are laid
side by side, the law is as if it had no glory. And that candle
is as if it had no light at all when the sun is in its brightness. Remember that example. Thomas
Goodwin put me on to something here as I was reading from his
commentary, something I had not seen before in this particular
connection, and that is that Paul uses A word here in this
particular play, excels or surpasses, which to give a point of comparison
unto us, is the same word that he uses in Ephesians chapter
1 And verse 19, when speaking of the power that excels, or
the power that actually exceeds all other power, Paul compares
them there. It is the power that puts down
all power. It is the power that outpowers
all and any other power. So that one power becomes as
if it were weakness in light of the exceeding power. And at
times, in referring to the gospel, Paul calls it the glorious gospel,
II Corinthians 4 and 4, when he says that the God of this
world hath blinded the eyes of the unbeliever, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them." 1 Timothy 1, verse 11. He refers to it as
the glorious gospel of the blessed God. The glory of the gospel
is an established fact. But some still do not have eyes
to see, to hear, or to understand. The gospel to them hath not the
glory that it has to us, and may even seem as foolishness
unto them. But we even must concede that
though the ministry of the law is death, so too, says Paul,
is the gospel in a way, 2 Corinthians 2, 14-16. The Gospel has the main function,
announcing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. The Gospel is
a proclamation of the death of our Lord and the redemption of
our Lord. It announces the good news that
there is one who has taken the sin of the elect upon Him. To us, it has the fragrance of
life. but to the unbeliever, to the
reprobate, it may be as the smell of death." Paul says in verse
15, in preaching the gospel, they were spreading the savor,
they were spreading the aroma of Christ in every place. To some, he said, the aroma of
life, to others, the aroma of death. Now, the glorious gospel,
what some old timers said, had an accidental effect, and that
is hardening the reprobate and making death in sin more manifest
to those who hear and cannot believe or perceive the gospel. As an example, the same rain
or the same sun that invigorates the earth and makes it fruitful
is the same rain and the same sun that manifests the filth
and the stench of a dung hill or dung pile. The same one would
work both. The glory of the gospel is not
a whit diminished by the fact that there are few that believe
it. Many reject the gospel. Many are hardened at the hearing
of the gospel, but that does not detract one iota from the
glory of the gospel, just as it does not devalue pearls when
they are trampled beneath the feet of swine or those who see
no value in them. In preaching the gospel, it is
to a regenerate elect, the gospel of salvation, Ephesians 1.13. In another sense, it is like
casting pearl before swine when it is cast out before the reprobate. Who knows but God which is with. To preach the holy and precious
Christ causes some to blaspheme that holy name by which we are
called. and to trample underfoot the
blood which was shed for the remission of sin, and take an
offense at being called a sinner in the sight of God. But if we
go back to 2 Corinthians 3 and the conclusion in verse 11, if
that which faded had a glory, how much that that remains hath
a glory that continues that lasts or abides? Now here is the new
proof of the superiority and excellence of the gospel over
that of the law, in that the dispensation of the law was meant
from the very first and from the giving to be only temporary. It was not an everlasting one.
It was a temporary. but the gospel is permanent and
will never be superseded as long as the world stands, the gospel
will stand in truth. This is covered at length in
the Hebrew epistle, but we don't have time to go there and search
it out now. So let's put our focus now upon
verses 12 through verse 18 and see the point that Paul makes
in these verses and how it relates to what is said earlier. For
there is definitely a shift of emphasis of some sort here in
the apostles' reading or writing. Verse 12 draws a conclusion. endured with such hope that the
gospel is a permanent administration and so much more glorious than
ever the law, we therefore use great plainness of speech." I
think the margin has boldness there. See the connection. We
have hope. We are bold. We do not veil the
truth. We are open and bold and out
in the open. about preaching the gospel. And
from verse 13, then on, he draws a metaphor from the veil that
covered the face of Moses because it represented that glowing,
the glory of the law, and that the people could not endure the
end of that which was fading away, nor could they see Christ. And the apostle makes a metaphor
out of this. For the veil is not upon Moses'
face, which, as Gil said, was both an emblem of the gospel
being veiled under the law, and also of the future blindness
of the Jew when the glory of the gospel should appear in its
fullness in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it appeared in fullness in
Christ and the apostles in their preaching, yet as if a veil were
upon the eye of so many of the Jew that they could not see the
glory. So why did such a large mass
of the Jews stumble at Christ? Their Scriptures predicted Him,
prophesied about Him. They looked for Him in hope of
a great Messiah to come. Why then did so few believe our
report as in Isaiah 53 and verse 1? Why? Why were their eyes hidden from
that? In Romans he lays it to the sovereignty
of God. True. But still it is true that
their eyes were blinded, holding that they should not know Him
as the two on Emmaus Road experienced in Luke 24 and verse 16. A veil, as it were, was upon
their eyes until the Lord took it away. and revealed Himself
clearly then they could see. But Paul says here in verse 14,
until this day the veil remains untaken away in the reading of
the Old Testament. They still could not see Christ
when the Old Testament Scriptures were read. And they were read
every Sabbath day in the synagogue. There were portions of the Scripture
read each Sabbath day in the Jewish synagogue. For such veil
is done away only in Christ. A veil is upon the heart. It
is done away only in Christ. And in verse 15, even until this
day the veil is upon their heart. Now we understand the apostle
has the Jews in mind, the Jews of his day and of that time and
up to that time as he writes. When Moses is read, which as
I said was every Sabbath day, Acts 15 and verse 21, for Moses
of old times, has in every city them that preaching being read
in the synagogues every Sabbath day." Luke 4, you see that? 17
through 21. Now, the two on Emmaus Road could
not recognize Jesus. Balaam could not see the angel
of the Lord, and the Jews could not see in Christ a glorious
Messiah who fulfill perfectly all of their scripture. But wherein
is the excelling glory of the gospel over the law? Well, number
one, in the mediators. Moses of one, Christ of the other. Christ more glorious than Moses. No question about that. Secondly,
more glorious in their respective sacrifice, which is more blessed. The blood of an animal or the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the opposite effects,
one death and the other life and righteousness. Now, we dare
not try to mix and amalgamate the two, law and grace, or gospel,
in the matter of salvation. For then the law loses its terror
and the gospel loses its grace. So we cannot mix and mingle them
together. One was glorious but was to be
done away. the other hath more glory and
remains and abides forever and forever." So the gospel is more
glorious than the law, though the law had much glory to commend
it unto the people, and it did.