Daily Bible Verse - 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 - where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom ...

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

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, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 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.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Commentary

Paul has been emphasizing that Christ is the key to the OT. Here he re-emphasizes that truth by saying, Now the Lord is the Spirit. Most versions, including NKJV, capitalize Spirit, interpreting it as the Holy Spirit. But the context suggests that the Lord is the spirit of the OT just as "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10). All the types and shadows of the OT find their fulfillment in Christ. Where the Spirit 16 of the Lord is, there is liberty means that wherever Jesus Christ is recognized as Lord or Jehovah, there is liberty, that is, freedom from the bondage of the law, freedom from obscurity in reading the Scriptures, and freedom to gaze upon His face without a veil between.

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (2 Co 3:17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Did you know?

When Moses came down from Sinai with the tablets of the Law, his face physically reflected the fact that he had been speaking directly to God (Ex. 34:33-35). Paul maintained that as glorious as Moses' face was, it was a fading, temporal glory. It is outshone by the glory of the gospel, which, through the Spirit, transforms believers into the image of God from glory to ever increasing glory. The New Covenant is superior to the old covenant, for the Spirit removes the veil that obscures one's view of God. With unveiled faces, believers behold God's glory and are being transformed into His image.

Thomas Nelson, I. (1997, c1995). Woman's study Bible . (2 Co 3:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.