2:4 ‘For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.’
2:8-11 ‘Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.’ Here the man put-away due to fornication has repented and has been forgiven.
2:15-16 ‘For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.’ Though the flesh must perish, the spirit and soul should be saved through The power of God in Christ....
3:2-3 ‘You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.’ Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.’ Even now, we also are being added to The Church through everything God has provided for our Salvation.
3:4-6 ‘And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.’ Even Paul’s letters must be written in our hearts, BY The Spirit, or there is no life in them.
3:7-11 ‘But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.’ The New Covenant is Better in every way than the previous legal document.
3:12-16 ‘Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech; unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.’ Heart blindness and heart idols exist in anyone who does not let JESUS into those dark places. But light will come to anyone who invites HIM in. In this we see there is only one way, one truth, and one life - each and al in Christ Jesus. 3:17 ‘Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ God’s gift of The Holy Spirit is available to all who come via Jesus. HE enables freedom to come boldly to The Throne through The Blood of Jesus. 3:18 ‘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 by the Spirit of the Lord.’ We can come boldly even into The Most Holy Places by Christ Jesus - even as sons in His likeness and image - as HE transforms and abides in our inner nature. We can see the results even as we see the new nature come into His glory....