2nd Corinthians 3:7-18 | The New Covenant vs. The Old Covenant
We are in 2nd Corinthians and on Wednesdays we are studying verse by verse through the book. Last week we went through verses 1-6 and today we\re going to finish the rest of the chapter. The Apostle Paul has been focusing on the ministry in his letter. It is the theme you see so far in 2nd Corinthians. Tonight he kind of shifts gears and talks about something very specific. He talks about the New Covenant or the New Testament. The word testament simply means covenant. Often when we think of the New Testament or the Old Testament, we think of the division of our Bible. However, it’s called the New Testament and the Old Testament because of those covenants. The Apostle Paul talks about the New Covenant versus the Old Covenant and he does that by giving us an illustration. I want to just show that to you quickly and then show you the story that he’s referring to so you can understand the context in which he’s speaking.
2nd Corinthians 3:6 “6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”. When you see the word testament there, understand he’s referring to the covenant. We’re under a New Covenant. There was an Old Covenant which is why the first part of the Bible is called the Old Testament. He says that God has now made us able ministers of the New Covenant. He says not of the letter but of the spirit for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life. So he mentions there the New Covenant. That’s the context that he’s going to speak about for the next few verses.
Notice verse 7. “7 But if the ministration of death,”. He’s referring now to the Old Covenant. “7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:”. So I want you to notice that in verse six he mentions that we are now able ministers of the New Testament. Then the New Covenant is mentioned. Then in verse 7 he mentions the ministration of death. This is a reference to the Old Covenant. You might wonder why it is called the “administration of death”. We will explain that in a minute.
He tells us the law was written and engraven in stones. Of course that should be familiar to you. Moses went up on Mount Sinai and came down with 2 tablets of stone on which the law was written. This is what Paul is referring to. He says it was written and engraven with stone. This references the very well-known Old Testament story of Moses. It says so the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance. Go to Exodus 34.
What the Apostle Paul is going to do is he’s going to take this story in the Old Testament when Moses came down from the mount. The Bible says his face shown. He is going to use it as an allegory or as an example or an illustration of the Old Testament versus the New Testament. He’s using a literal story. It actually happened to Moses but he’s using it as an allegory of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Exodus 34:28 “28 And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”. Let me give you some context. Moses actually went up to the mountain twice. The first time he got the 10 commandments and he came down and they were worshipping the golden calf.
He is going up a 2nd time which is what we are reading about in Exodus 34. So Moses spent 80 days on the mountain with God and this is the 2nd instance of 40 days with God. The Bible says he was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights. He ate neither bread nor drank water. This time Moses is writing on the tables. The first time it was the Lord who wrote on the tables. Maybe since Moses brake them the first time, God is making him do the writing himself the 2nd time. Now of course there are more than 10 commandments in the Bible. However, the 10 commandments are really the representation of all commandments. Here we see that Moses comes down with the ten commandments. It is a picture or a representation of this New Covenant. Let me be clear about what we will call the Old Covenant or Old Testament because we’ve been given a New Covenant.
Verse 29 “29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.”. Moses has now spent a total of 80 days and nights fasting. There’s a break in between fasting with the Lord. The second time he spent 40 days and 40 nights with God, with the Lord. Verse 30 “30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.”. I don’t know exactly what this looked like but I envision his face had some sort of a glow to it.
Verse 32 “32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai.”. So Moses goes up the mountain and speaks to the Lord. As a result of this, his face shown. Verse 33 “33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.”. So his face is shining making people uncomfortable. The Bible tells us that he put a veil over his face because his face was shining. Verse 34 “34 But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”.
Of course this is a well-known passage of scripture if you read the Bible. It’s not that well known if you don’t read the Bible. This is a story in the Bible where Moses face shown as a result of spending time with God on the mount. He came down and told the children of Israel what God had said. But while he spoke with the children of Israel, they were afraid of the shine on his face and the glory on his face that he received from God. He put a veil over his face and he would remove the veil when he went into the tabernacle and spoke with God. He would put the veil on when he would speak to the people. So I want you to understand that story because this is what the Apostle Paul is going to use.
This story of the veil upon the face of Moses is what Paul uses to illustrate the Old Testament or Old Covenant. He’s going to compare and contrast it to the New Testament. He uses Moses as an illustration of the Old Testament for several reasons. First of all, Moses is connected to the law. Oftentimes the Bible refers to the writings of Moses as the law. Throughout the Bible, people would talk about the law and the prophets and they would equate Moses to the law. So Moses just as an individual is a representation of that Old Testament. Then of course here Moses himself comes down with the two tablets of stone and his face is shining. He puts a veil on his face. Paul is reminding these New Testament believers about that Old Testament covenant.
Go to 2nd Corinthians 3:7. Let me give you some thoughts in regards to the Old Testament verses the New Testament from this passage. Paul begins by comparing and contrasting the old and new testaments. He explains why the new is better, why the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant. Now he begins by explaining some things about the Old Covenant and here they are.
Number one, the Old Covenant or the Old Testament was glorious. 2nd Corinthians 3:7 “7 But if the ministration of death,…”. Again that’s a reference to the Old Covenant written and engraven in stone. This is talking about the fact that the ten commandments were literally written in stone. He says “7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious,…”. He’s going to compare that to the New Covenant. I want you to notice that he does state the Old Covenant was glorious. It was a glorious covenant. What do we mean by that?
When we’re talking about the Old Covenant and what you need to understand is that there’s several covenants that the Bible refers to. I preached sermons on the covenants and giving an overview on the covenants. I don’t have time to go into that today. But of course we have the Abrahamic covenant that was given to Abraham and his descendants. The New Testament tells us it was specifically given to the Lord Jesus Christ as the descendant of Abraham. Then we have the Davidic covenant that was a covenant given to David. It was that his descendants would be rulers on the throne of Jerusalem.
During the millennial reign, when the Lord Jesus Christ rules and reigns from Jerusalem, he is a descendant of David. Those covenants were given to Abraham and David. They are fulfilled in Christ. But then we have the Mosaic Covenant and this is what’s often referred to when we refer to the Old Covenant or the Old Testament. We’re not necessarily referring to the Abrahamic covenant. He’s talking about the Mosaic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant was a set of laws that were given to the children of Israel on mount Sinai.
Here’s what you need to understand. There’s nothing wrong with the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant was glorious. Here’s why Paul is making that point and why I want to make that point. You have people who say we are under the New Covenant. We’re New Testament believers. We’re under grace. And then they act like the Old Covenant was just a worthless piece of junk. Now please don’t misunderstand me. The old has been done away. I believe in replacement theology. But before we teach that, remember that the Old Covenant was glorious.
Deuteronomy 4:8 “8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?”. Here’s what the Bible says. No nation, including the United States of America has ever had laws as glorious and as wonderful as the Old Testament nation of Israel. God’s laws are better than the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. There’s no nation that has ever had such a glorious law given to it.
What does it mean the Old Covenant was done away? What was done away were the ordinances. If you read your Bible, there were ordinances that were not part of the moral law. They were ceremonial or religious laws that pictured the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. All those things have been done away. We’re talking about the sacrifices. We’re talking about the washings. We’re talking about the feast days. All those things were a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. They’ve been done away. When Jesus Christ came, he didn’t do away with all of the criminal and moral laws. If we had a righteous nation, we would adopt those laws.
We need to understand how to think about the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant’s been done away in the sense that there is no longer a nation upon this earth. By the way, there will never be a nation that fully embraces God’s law. One day the Lord Jesus Christ will rule and reign and it will be his laws. That doesn’t mean that it was not a glorious covenant. That doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from the book of Leviticus or the book of Number. Those sacrifices foreshadow Jesus. It also doesn’t mean that we can’t learn from justice, judgment and the criminal and moral laws. It was a glorious covenant.
Not only was the Old Covenant a glorious covenant but it was limited. 2nd Corinthians 3:6 “6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”. Maybe some of you don’t care about the Old Covenant but I will make an application from it that can help you in life. Now I want you to understand the major contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is the letter versus the spirit. It is the fact that one covenant was given a letter, words and laws and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a glorious covenant. The other covenant was given a spirit.
What it’s saying is that the Old Covenant kills but the New Covenant gives life. Notice verse 7 “7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:”. Here’s what I want you to understand. The Bible says that the Old Covenant was limited. Why? Because it was only a law. The Old Testament law was glorious, it was beautiful and we would do well to adopt it. But all the Old Testament law can do is kill and condemn.
Galatians 3:10 “10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”. Most so-called Christians today teach a works salvation. The Catholics will say keep the sacraments and commandments. Mormons will say repent of your sins. Then there will be Christians that say “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ but also you have to repent of sins and quite smoking.”. Or people will say it’s just believing but you’ll lose it if you don’t live right. This is all just adding works to salvation.
He said “10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”. If you try to earn your way to heaven, you are under the curse. Why? Unless you keep the law 100% perfectly then you are guilty. You’re unable to do that because you’re a sinner. You’ve already disqualified yourself. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”. Only Jesus Christ was able to be 100% perfect.
Let’s just be honest with ourselves. If we can’t keep the 10 commandments then how are we going to be able to keep the other hundreds of commandments throughout the entire Bible. The Bible even says “the thought of foolishness is sin.”. So just thinking something stupid is a sin. The Bible also says that if you know to do good and don’t do it then it is sin. There are sins of commission and sins of omission. When you fail to do that which is right, that’s a sin. What I’m showing you is that all the law can do is condemn you. It’s limited. Now it’s needed but it’s limited.
Galatians 3:11 “11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”. Why is it evident? Because no one can keep the entire law of God and continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. He says it’s evident that no one is justified. Galatians 3:12 “12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.”. Look at verse 22 of the same chapter. Galatians 3:22 “22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”.
People need to understand this because we’re talking about salvation. People think that since the law can’t save them then we should just get rid of it and not follow the law at all. The law is a good thing and glorious but it is just limited because it can’t save us. God doesn’t want us to commit adultery or kill. God wants us to keep the law. The law is limited because it can only condemn us. Galatians 3:23 “23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.”. What does it mean to be under the curse of the law? There is a punishment as a result of breaking the law.
Galatians 3:24 “24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”. The law is not bad but it just can’t save you. The law does something wonderful. It shows us the need of a Savior. The law shows you that you’re not as good as you think you are. You’re not good enough to go to heaven. See, the law is needed but it won’t save you. People want to go to extremes and say things like “I’m not good enough to go to heaven so I don’t need the law.”. When it comes to salvation, the law was your school master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. Notice verse 25 “25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”. What does that mean? We’re no longer under the wrath or the curse of the law. The law showed us that we needed a Savior.
So we see that the Old Testament covenant was glorious. We see that the Old Testament covenant was limited. Then just thirdly on this subject, the Old Testament covenant was done away. 2nd Corinthians 3:7 “7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:”. Now the glory of Moses pictures the first covenant. Here Paul tells us that that covenant was to be done away. He says “which glory was to be done away”.
Verse 11 “11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.”. He’s compared the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. I could spend a lot of time on this and I’m not going to do that. We have sermons and all sorts of things you can listen to in regards to this. But I’ll just give you some proof from the word of God that the Old Covenant has been done away.
Hebrews 8:7 “7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.”. See, there was a problem with the first covenant. If there had been no problem or fault with the first covenant then no place should have been sought for the second. What was the problem with the Old Covenant? People couldn’t fully keep it. Hebrews 8:8 “8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.” There was nothing wrong with the covenant. It was a glorious covenant. But the people didn’t continue in it.
The Old Covenant has been done away. Why? Because there’s something wrong with it? No. There’s something wrong with the children of Israel. And by the way, there would have been something wrong with you and I if we would have been given that Old Covenant too. The Old Covenant was glorious. No greater set of laws have ever been found upon this earth. However, it was a limited covenant. Why? Because all it could do is condemn. It could not save and it was done away.
2nd Corinthians 3:8 “8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?”. When they emphasize the New Covenant, they emphasize the spirit of the Covenant. Paul does the same thing here. Now there’s debate whether he’s referring here to the Holy Spirit or our spirit. Realize, the Holy Spirit communes with our spirit. We have a spiritual man and the Holy Spirit communes with that spiritual man. “8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?”. The Old Covenant was glorious so how much more glorious is the New Covenant.
Notice verse 9. “9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.”. You see, if the Old Covenant is glorious even though it condemns us then how much more glorious is the New Covenant. Verse 10 “10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.”. The Old Covenant was glorious but not in comparison to the New Covenant. Since the New Covenant was so glorious, it makes the Old Covenant look not so glorious.
Hebrews 8:6 “6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”. The Old Covenant is done away with. He’s done with that and he’s brought a New Covenant, a better covenant in where there is neither Jew nor Greek. There’s neither bond nor free neither male nor female. We are all one in Christ. It is referring to Jesus obtaining a more excellent ministry in Hebrews 8:6. So we see that the New Covenant is better.
2nd Corinthians 3:11 “11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.”. See, the Old Covenant was done away but the New Covenant remains. The Old Covenant was removed and replaced with the new, better and more exceeding glorious covenant. The Old Testament nation of Israel as God’s chosen people was removed and replaced with a new people. Paul begins by explaining why the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant. Why is it? Because the Old Covenant was glorious. However, though it was glorious, it was limited. It could not save. It could only condemn. As a result, it was done away. The New Covenant is better. It’s built upon better promises and it remains.
We talked about why the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant but let’s talk about how the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant. 2nd Corinthians 3:12 “12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:”. Let me just say this, if you are an aspiring preacher, you ought to underline those words. When we stand up to preach, we are not supposed to make ourselves look smart and use these swelling words. The Bible says that we use plainness of speech. A good teacher takes a complicated passage and make it easy to understand. Bad preachers take an easy passage and make it complicated.
2nd Corinthians 3:13 “13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:”. How is the New Covenant better than the Old Covenant? See, in the Old Testament or in the Old Covenant, access to God was through a system of priests and temples. Moses pictures that as he personally has access to God. He comes down with the shine of God upon him but the people can’t look upon that. He has to put a veil over his face so that he could communicate with them. Why? Because the people there in that specific story and throughout the Old Covenant, their access to God was through a system of priests and through a temple and through a sanctuary.
Look at verse 13 again. “13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.”. By the way, the Bible talks about the fact that when Jesus died, the curtain that separated the holy of holies with the rest of the temple was rented or cut.
Verse 15 “15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.”. Here’s what he’s saying. The Old Testament people could not understand the covenant aside from priests and prophets and people that God brought to be a mediator between God and them. Here Paul writing in the New Testament in the first century says “15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.”.
Why do I say the jews cannot understand the Old Testament? The same reason that no unsaved person can understand the Old Testament. Unsaved people cannot discern the spiritual word of God. The Jews are in an especially bad situation because the Old Covenant that God established with them was dependent upon the fact that God would teach and explain and help them understand the law through the priests and through the temple. There is no temple now. There are no priests. They’ve been done away. The only access they had to understand those things are gone. That’s why you need to understand that the Jews religion is an Antichrist religion. They are unbelievers just like any false religion like Buddhism or Islam.
By the way, people will say that they just serve the God of the Old Testament but that’s not true. They don’t. They don’t even try to follow the Old Testament. They follow a book called the torah which has a bunch of made-up laws that they’ve added to the word of God. The Bible clearly says they can’t understand the Bible. The veil is upon their hearts.
Today dispensationalists are a bunch of respecters of persons. They will say that the unsaved can’t understand the Bible and it is foolishness unto them. But then they believe God make an exception for the Jews. Look, if they’re unsaved then they cannot understand the word of God. The Old Testament access to God was through a system of priests and temples. The veil pictures that the people could not look upon the glory of God. They couldn’t even look at the glory of God on Moses’s face. It pictures a veil. And then Paul says that their minds were blinded and the same veil remaineth until this day untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament.
I want you to notice something. In the New Testament access to God is given individually. How do we have access to God? Through Jesus Christ. Do we need a priest? No, you are a priest. Do we need a temple? No, you are a temple. Do you understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant? The Old Covenant had a system of priests, had a temple worship system, had sacrifice and all those things. In the New Covenant, I don’t need a mediator. I’ve got a mediator. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. I don’t need a priest. I am a priest. I’ve been given the priesthood of the believer. I don’t need a temple. I am a temple. The Bible says know ye not that you are the temple of the Holy Ghost? See, in the New Testament access to God is given on an individual level. You don’t need a priest. You are a priest. You don’t need a temple. You are a temple.
2nd Corinthians 3:14 “14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.”. How is the veil taken away? In Christ. No matter what your background, if you get saved then the veil will be taken away. It’s done away in Christ. But even unto this day when Moses is read the veil is upon their hearts.
Verse 16 “16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.”. The veil can be taken away from anybody. All they need to do is turn to the Lord, get saved, get the sealing of the Holy Spirit, allow the Holy Spirit to minister to their spirit. The veil will be taken away. They’ll understand the word of God. The New Testament access to God is given individually because you are a priest, because you are a temple. As New Testament believers, our bodies are the New Testament temples that God dwells in. In the Old Testament they had a physical building, the holy of holies, the ark of the covenant. This represented the presence of God. We don’t have that in the New Testament. I am a temple and the Holy Spirit of God indwells me and God himself resides in the temple, in the body of every believer through the Holy Spirit.
Notice the emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 17 “17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”. In the context of this verse, it’s referring to being freed from the Old Covenant. Why? Because I have the Holy Spirit of God. Why is the New Covenant better than the Old Covenant? Here’s why. Because the Old Covenant had the problem of the people. What was wrong with the people? That nation had access to God and was supposed to uphold God’s laws and be an example to others nations that others would convert to their religion and be saved that way. There’s always been soul winning and evangelism. But that didn’t work. Why? Because the nation, the people got corrupt. In fact, they got filled with pride. They began to think they were God’s chosen people and better than everyone else. God does away with the Old Covenant and brings in a New Covenant. It is similar but different. It has different promises.
What makes it better? Here’s what makes it better. Instead of having one nation to represent God upon this earth, God has local churches made up of his people to represent him in the Earth. Do you realize that a local Church pictures the nation of Israel from the Old Testament? In the Book of Acts, it refers to the Children of Israel as the Church in the wilderness when wandering. There’s not just 1 Church but all sorts of local Churches. There’s not just one temple that could be destroyed. There are all sorts of local churches made up of believers who are all the temple of God. We all have access to God. Moses went up to the mount and spoke to God.
2nd Corinthians 3:18 “18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”. The word of God in the book of James is referred to as a glass or mirror of the word of God. When you open up the word of God, you behold the glory of the Lord. We have access to God. We have access to God’s glory through the word of God by the Holy Spirit.
Notice verse 18 “18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”. Please don’t miss that. The Bible says that when we open up the word of God, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. What do I mean by that? Go to Acts 4.
Remember Moses went up and spoke to God right on the mount and it changed him. He went up on the mount. God had glory. Moses had no glory. But after spending time with God, Moses had some of the glory of God on him. His face shone. Let me tell you something, you cannot spend time with God and not have it change you. What is a New Testament example of that? Look at Acts 4:13.
Acts 4:13 “13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”. They spent time with Jesus and there was a change. You can’t spend time with God upon the mount and not have it change you. If you actually spend time with God in his Word, it will change you. The Holy Spirit will help you to understand his word.
One of the great benefits of reading God’s word is that when you spend time with God, it will change you. The glow of God will come upon. People will look at your life and marvel and notice that you have been with Jesus. They will notice a change in you. If you come to our Church 3 times a week where we preach the Word of God and then you go home and read the Word of God, there will be a change in your life. If you are just as angry and moody and bitter as you used to be then you are doing something wrong.
Sometimes people come to a Church like this and say “I started going to church and my marriage is still falling apart.”. Well let me tell you something. There’s nothing wrong with the covenant. The fault is with you. Because if you actually read the Bible, love the Bible, apply the Bible, try to do what the Bible says, you can’t help but become more like Jesus. If you don’t then that’s not his fault. That’s your fault. Because the New Covenant gives you access to the Holy Spirit. I’m not saying that you’re going to read a verse and you’re going to be transformed to the image of God. However, here is what I’m telling you. If you’re not growing then you’re not doing it right. You should be learning. You should be applying. You should be growing.
Go back to 2nd Corinthians 3:18 “18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”. When Moses spent time with God, people could tell. They said there’s something different with you. And people should be able to tell when you and I spend time with God.
Let’s pray.