2 Corinthians 3

Servants of the New Agreement

1 Are we starting to brag about ourselves again? Do we need letters of introduction to you or from you, like some other people?2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.3 You show that you are a letter from Christ sent through us. This letter is not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. It is not written on stone tablets 4 We can say this, because through Christ we feel certain before God.5 We are not saying that we can do this work ourselves. It is God who makes us able to do all that we do.

6 He made us able to be servants of a new agreement from himself to his people. This new agreement is not a written law, but it is of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
7 The law that brought death was written in words on stone. It came with God’s glory, which made Moses’ face so bright that the Israelites could not continue to look at it. But that glory later disappeared.8 So surely the new way that brings the Spirit has even more glory.9 If the law that judged people guilty of sin had glory, surely the new way that makes people right with God has much greater glory.10 That old law had glory, but it really loses its glory when it is compared to the much greater glory of this new way.

11 If that law which disappeared came with glory, then this new way which continues forever has much greater glory.
12 We have this hope, so we are very bold.13 We are not like Moses, who put a covering over his face so the Israelites would not see it. The glory was disappearing, and Moses did not want them to see it end.14 But their minds were closed, and even today that same covering hides the meaning when they read the old agreement. That covering is taken away only through Christ.15 Even today, when they read the law of Moses, there is a covering over their minds.16 But when a person changes and follows the Lord, that covering is taken away.17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 Our faces, then, are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4

Preaching the Good News

1 God, with his mercy, gave us this work to do, so we don’t give up.2 But we have turned away from secret and shameful ways. We use no trickery, and we do not change the teaching of God. We teach the truth plainly, showing everyone who we are. Then they can know in their hearts what kind of people we are in God’s sight.3 If the Good News that we preach is hidden, it is hidden only to those who are lost.4 The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News—the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like God.5 We do not preach about ourselves, but we preach that Jesus Christ is Lord and that we are your servants for Jesus.

6 God once said, “Let the light shine out of the darkness!” This is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts by letting us know the glory of God that is in the face of Christ.

Spiritual Treasure in Clay Jars

7 We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us.8 We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living.9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.10 We carry the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies.11 We are alive, but for Jesus we are always in danger of death so that the life of Jesus can be seen in our bodies that die.

12 So death is working in us, but life is working in you.
13 It is written in the Scriptures, “I believed, so I spoke.” 14 God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, and we know that God will also raise us with Jesus. God will bring us together with you, and we will stand before him.

15 All these things are for you. And so the grace of God that is being given to more and more people will bring increasing thanks to God for his glory.

Living by Faith

16 So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day.17 We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles.18 We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 5

1 We know that our body—the tent we live in here on earth—will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a house for us. It will not be a house made by human hands; instead, it will be a home in heaven that will last forever.2 But now we groan in this tent. We want God to give us our heavenly home,3 because it will clothe us so we will not be naked.4 While we live in this body, we have burdens, and we groan. We do not want to be naked, but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be fully covered with life.

5 This is what God made us for, and he has given us the Spirit to be a guarantee for this new life.
6 So we always have courage. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord.7 We live by what we believe, not by what we can see.8 So I say that we have courage. We really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord.9 Our only goal is to please God whether we live here or there,

10 because we must all stand before Christ to be judged. Each of us will receive what we should get—good or bad—for the things we did in the earthly body.

Becoming Friends with God

11 Since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to help people accept the truth about us. God knows what we really are, and I hope that in your hearts you know, too.12 We are not trying to prove ourselves to you again, but we are telling you about ourselves so you will be proud of us. Then you will have an answer for those who are proud about things that can be seen rather than what is in the heart.13 If we are out of our minds, it is for God. If we have our right minds, it is for you.14 The love of Christ controls us, because we know that One died for all, so all have died.

15 Christ died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves. He died for them and was raised from the dead so that they would live for him.
16 From this time on we do not think of anyone as the world does. In the past we thought of Christ as the world thinks, but we no longer think of him in that way.17 If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him.19 God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold the world guilty of its sins. And he gave us this message of peace.20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is as if God is calling to you through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God.21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God.