2 Corinthians 3

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 3 of 13

1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we, as some, need commendatory letters to you, or commendatory ones from you?

2 You are our letter, having been inscribed in our hearts, being known and being read by all men,

3 it being made known that you are Christ’s letter, ministered by us, not having been inscribed by ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not in tablets of stone, but in fleshly tablets of the heart.

Read full chapter in the Bible Reader

Chapter Summary

Lest their false teachers should charge him with vainglory, he shows the faith and graces of the Corinthians to be a sufficient commendation of his ministry.

Key Greek Words

δόξα glory G1391
διαθήκη covenant G1242
διακονία ministry, service G1248
πνεῦμα Spirit G4151
γράμμα letter (of the law) G1121
ἐλευθερία freedom, liberty G1657

People & Context

Paul

The apostle, writing of his ministers of a new covenant of the Spirit, not the letter

Christ

Whose letter the Corinthians are, written by the Spirit; in Him the veil over the old covenant is removed

Moses

Whose face shone with fading glory and who put a veil over it; a veil still lies on the heart when he is read

God

The living God whose Spirit inscribes hearts and who is the source of Paul's sufficiency

Holy Spirit

The Spirit of the living God who makes alive, gives glory and freedom, and transforms believers into Christ's image

Timeline

Living Letters of Christ

Paul asserts that he does not need written commendatory letters because the Corinthians themselves are Christ's letter, inscribed by the Spirit on fleshly tablets of the heart .

2 Corinthians 3:1-3
Contrasting the Old and New Covenants

Paul contrasts the fading glory of Moses' ministry of death, written on stone, with the surpassing, permanent glory of the ministry of the Spirit [10-12].

2 Corinthians 3:7-11
The Unveiled Face

He explains that a veil remains over the hearts of Israelites reading the Old Covenant, but in Christ, the veil is removed, allowing believers to be transformed into His glorious image .

2 Corinthians 3:14-18

Read 2 Corinthians 3 in the KJ3 Reader

Word-for-word literal translation with Greek interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.

Open in Bible Reader
2 Corinthians 22 Corinthians2 Corinthians 4