“The Veil Removed” ( 2 Corinthians 3: 16, NEB ) by Carley Evans

“It is not for us to do as Moses does: he puts a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing on that fading splendour [of the Lord] until it is gone.” (2 Corinthians 3:12-13)

“Now the Lord of whom this passage speaks is Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And because for us there is no veil over the face, we all reflect as in a mirror the splendour of the Lord; thus we are transfigured into His likeness, from splendour to splendour; such is the influence of the Lord who is Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

The veil is removed. We, who are Christians, reflect the glory — “from splendour to splendour” — of the Lord as He transforms us into His likeness through His own Holy Spirit.

Paul reminds us that “only in Christ is the old covenant abrogated.” (2 Corinthians 3:14) With the abolishing of the old way of following the law of Moses, Christians instead are transformed through the “influence of the Lord who is Spirit.” Not an immediate alteration; rather akin to hiking a steep path with a strong dog on lead pulling you along. You can stop, but that loving dog is going to keep pulling, urging you uphill to the glorious view at the top. Now this is not to say that God is a dog. Of course not! He is actually our leader; the One who demands our keeping to the path. Yet, He is also our guarantor, making certain we reach His goal — the goal He set for us before the start of time.

Let’s stop pulling against Him.