Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

In the previous paragraph or so, Paul has presented a contrast between the letter, and the Spirit; death, and life, and the Old and the New Covenants, and with this paragraph, he draws a conclusion from that discussion− that is our context.

In drawing his conclusion, Paul uses a metaphor, that of Moses wearing a veil when he came down from the mountain to address the Israelites after his summit meeting with God. The purpose of the veil, as you will recall, was to hide the glory of God that still shone on his countenance so that it would not overwhelm the people who saw it, until it faded away. His next step is to tell them that in a sense, that veil is still there, only not on the face of Moses, but upon their hearts, for it is only through Christ Jesus that we can see God’s glory clearly. Of course, what we see of God’s glory in Christ is not a bright light, at least not in the literal and physical sense.  What we see is His Truth, His salvation; His grace. In seeing this, we come to understand the difference between the letter of the Law, and the life-giving Spirit of Almighty God working in our lives.

That is, if we care to notice.

So often we might want to rely on something more tangible like… rules, regulations… the Law, and as a result, we might well miss the Spirit in our midst. If we’re honest, we’d probably say that we’ve all had that experience.

Yet, we do not need to stay in that place, for thanks be to God, He has set us free from the regulation of Law, from the regulation of worship, and from death and separation from God.

We have the Spirit of the Lord, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, and that dear reader, is glorious indeed.