I’m back!!
In this post, I’d like to take a new, fresh approach to a post: that of taking a particular Bible verse and dissecting it from a new perspective.
It’s a heavily quoted Scripture, though taken out of context like crazy and almost never fully understood. As I read it over and over yesterday trying to wrap my head around its profound meaning, the Holy Spirit began to touch me – and so I decided to write about it so I wouldn’t forget.
Let’s read the verse first just so we can get a solid foundation as we begin to discuss it, then I’ll take you back to the context of the verse so we can begin to grasp some of the finer meanings of the verse.
I’ll then ask you a question that might change your understanding of the verse.
Next, we’ll begin to discuss the parts of the verse from this different perspective, and lastly, I’ll sum it all up. I do believe my English teacher (my mother) would be pleased with my outline – granted, I didn’t use my transitions in the right order.
Anyways, let’s read:
We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
This verse is so, so, so incredibly deep – it doesn’t do it justice to just skim it once.
That said, let’s re-read (don’t skim):
We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
Are you beginning to grasp the enormity of what is said in this verse??
Let’s review some context so we can grasp it better.
Earlier in the chapter, Paul especially emphasizes the question none of us will ever fully comprehend or be able to answer fully and accurately this side of the gates of pearl: If the old covenant was so glorious, how much more is the new one?
He also presents us with an important fact: he talks about how Moses was required to wear a veil by the people – they simply couldn’t handle the glory! This, along with the understanding that the veil was torn in the temple, which provides us full access to the glory of the Lord through the Holy Spirit, could change the way we worship God.
With those two facts compiled together, the case is nearly hammered shut – but there needs to be a conclusion and wrapping together of those two facts; the last nail in the coffin, if you will.
The quoted verse is that conclusion, and a pivotal verse for the shaping of our walk with Jesus.
With the context somewhat explained, let us begin to dissect this verse. But first, let me pose one key question – the answer to it will undoubtedly shift your understanding of this verse and perhaps even your relationship with Jesus.
What does the veil in this verse represent?
We obviously don’t walk around with veils on, so this section of the verse almost seems irrelevant. If we just skim through it and randomly assign a meaning that seems to fit, we might land on the answer of a facade; a covering up of our identity.
Perhaps a facade is what the veil represents, but it’s a somewhat vague answer to a very important question.
What exactly is this facade?
It is the answer to this question that I felt the Lord revealed to me yesterday when I could scarcely take my eyes off that verse for quite some time.
The answer is: religion.
Religion makes us dress up, sit in our normal pew, listen to one man (or woman) for as long as an hour or two, and cover up our issues and problems – otherwise known as a facade.
Religion says there is an answer for our issues, and that we can find it by contacting the counseling pastor – but there is no help to be found from wading in the depths of counseling. The only help can come from Jesus and deliverance through Him.
Religion keeps people in chains: the chains of membership, the chains of tithing to a particular building so it can pay off its debt that shouldn’t exist in the first place, the chains of addiction, and the chains of pride.
Jesus wants us to be free – free to love and serve Him with every fiber of our being! What He doesn’t want is for us to be in bondage; chained to a pew while souls are dying and going to hell across the world (or across the church aisle).
If church becomes a place of ministry and not a place to get fed and accept everything some dude in a suit says, we will experience great freedom – especially if we actually follow the Spirit’s lead as to which one we go to or even whether we do.
As you can see, it would make sense if religion indeed was the veil spoken of in 2 Corinthians 3. After all, it seems to represent the law when it refers to Moses, and the modern equivalent might well be religion. It’s what the Lord revealed to me, and it makes quite a bit of logical sense.
That said, when we review the verse carefully, it can be deduced that religion clouds our view of the Lord. We can’t make Him out and the Glory only makes it in in slivers – yes, we experience some with a veil. But no, we cannot experience all.
If we cannot fully experience the glory of our Lord, how can we reflect that glory and be continually sanctified through His grace?
The answer is: we can’t.
Let’s read again:
We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
Read that. Read it again.
Think on it and apply the fact that the veil is religion.
Here’s the bottom line: we cannot look like Jesus if we are clouded with man-made religion.
Spend some time thinking on it, and God bless you!
Elle's Everyday 
Interesting thoughts – as always, I’m left with stuff to ponder. 🙂
Now, I must confess that when I got to where you define the veil as religion, I was like “whoa, didn’t see that coming!” 😛 But that’s certainly not to say I dismissed the thought.
A few verses before the one you quoted three times, Paul says this: “For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.”
Here Paul is referring to the Jews, who have continued in the old covenant rather than turning to Christ – thus a veil remains over their hearts, for though the scriptures they read and recite literally scream of Christ in their face, they are so hardened they simply can’t see it.
It is to the plight of these unbelieving Jews, who try (and fail) to do what Christ has already done (fulfill the law), that you liken the state of certain individuals who call themselves Christians. As with the unbelieving Jews, they boast in the goodness of their works rather than the riches of Christ’s grace. They have a superficial interest in the things of God, which, at a base level is motivated by nothing more than their fleshly, selfish desires – seemingly pursuing God, but only because they see him as a means to an end.
In using the word ‘religion’ to define the veil, then, you’re emphasizing the contrast between the man-centered, self-seeking ways of many who call themselves Christians, and the earnest pursuit of Christ that ought to characterize our walk. And insofar as you mean it that way, I completely and entirely agree.
Hope that made at least a bit of sense 😛
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And yours are equally as interesting – I hadn’t really considered the verse you quoted, but definitely worth studying.
There are so many people in bondage behind that veil, and it will undoubtedly be asked of us on Judgment Day what we did to bring Jesus to them and free them from that bondage.
And it made plenty of sense! Definitely made me think 🙂
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I find that the gospel is as much for Christians as for unbelievers. It’s why Paul says, at the start of the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” But those are thoughts that could well formulate their own blogpost ;P
Funny thing is, I was actually reading 2 Corinthians the other day. I’m going to have to study it more 🙂
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Yes, and I encourage you to write that post 😉 That’s cool – only the Lord’s timing 🙂
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We’ll see … I’ve got SO MANY posts in the works right now. 😛
But perhaps this topic ought to be at the top of my list.
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Maybe so!
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More Holy Spirit…
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Amen!
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