A veil lies over their heart...

2 Corinthians 3 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Ministers of a New Covenant

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? ² You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

⁴ Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, ⁶ who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

⁷ But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. ¹⁰ For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

¹² Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, ¹³ and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

“For until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”      Knowing this, why is it that so often, believers, the church, try to use the law to point out the sinfulness of the world?  It is the Lord who causes people to see clearly. When we continue in reading and declaring the law we only reinforce the veil that lies over their heart. Most people are not unaware of the 10 Commandments. It is just that they have already decided what they are going to do with them. Through the deception of the veil which is over their hearts, they justify their own response to the law.

Jesus says that we should “"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)  Mark 1:1 begins by saying: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.(NASB) The NIV says: The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,   That’s the message we are to declare to the world. Jesus says: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel (the good news) to all creation. (Mark 16:15) The law was and is unable to change the hearts of men. Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: 55"O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  “ The power of sin is the law” In the midst of the darkness of our culture it does no good to declare that it is dark. Again, Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

We should live righteously, shining the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. Our message is to be the good news of Christ. We should share and declare the love and grace of God through Christ.  Far too often we declare righteousness while our lives look no different than the world. What the world see then is hypocrisy.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict people of their sin. Jesus says: when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:8-11)

It is not that we tolerate sin. It does not extend the love of God to someone if we fail to try to help them to turn from sin. If we love the world, then we need to speak the truth. But we are to speak the truth in love. If we have not first established our motive of love we can speak all the truth we want, but unfortunately we probably do more to darken the veil over their hearts than we do to change their hearts. Paul says this, to the believers at Corinth and to us:

² You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. ⁴ Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, ⁶ who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

We are to be the letter of Christ, a love letter to the world, a letter not of the law and the old covenant. But as servants of the new covenant, we are to be a letter written by the life giving Spirit of God.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, precious Holy Spirit, help me to live as Your love letter to the world. Help me to shine the light of Christ where ever I go. Help me to live righteously, but declare the good news of the love and grace of God. Help me to hold to Your truth.  May I never tolerate and accept the sin that caused You to go to the cross, but may I speak the truth in love, so that the veil will be taken away and people will turn to You, the Lord, my savior and theirs.  Amen.