Bible Questions Answered:
“What is Pauls meaning the heart
being veiled?”
Penela/ Zagreb, Croatia
Bible Answer:
Bible Text:
II Corinthians 3:6-18 NLT (The
Apostle Paul speaks of the Great and Glorious New Covenant.)
6 He (God) has enabled us to be
ministers of His New Covenant. This is a covenant not of written
laws, but of The Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but
under the new covenant, The Spirit gives life.
7 The old way, with laws etched in
stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people
of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone
with The Glory Of God, even though the brightness was already fading
away.
8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater
glory under The New Way, now that The Holy Spirit is giving life?
9 If the old way, which brings
condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is The New Way,
which makes us right with God!
10 In fact, that first glory was not
glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of The New Way.
11 So if the old way, which has been
replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is The New, which
remains forever!
12 Since this New Way gives us such
confidence, we can be very bold.
13 We are not like Moses, who put a
veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory,
even though it was destined to fade away.
14 But the people’s minds were
hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds
so they cannot understand The Truth. And this veil can be removed
only by believing in Christ.
15 Yes, even today when they read
Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they
do not understand.
16 But whenever someone turns to
The Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 For The Lord is The Spirit, and
wherever The Spirit Of The Lord is, there is freedom.
18 So all of us who have had that
veil removed can see and reflect the glory of The Lord. And The
Lord—who is The Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are
changed into His glorious image.
II Corinthians
3:7-18 KJV
6 Who also hath
made us able ministers of The New Testament; not of the letter, but
of The Spirit: for the letter killeth, but The Spirit giveth life.
7 But if the
ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious,
so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face
of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done
away:
8 How shall not the
ministration of The Spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the
ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that
which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of
the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that
which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is
glorious.
12 Seeing then that
we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as
Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel
could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their
minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil
untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil
is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto
this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless
when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is
that Spirit: and where The Spirit Of The Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with
open face beholding as in a glass the glory of The Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, even as by The Spirit Of The
Lord.
Some Judaizing
rebels at Corinth, wished to place in par, the law, with the Gospel of
The Lord Jesus Christ.
But laws of stone
in themselves do not give spiritual life and victory. Instead they
only show that sinful man deserves judgment and death, because,
sinful man cannot keep the law.
Romans 3:23 KJV
For all have
sinned, and come short of The Glory Of God;
Exodus 32:15,16
KJV
15 And Moses turned, and went down
from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand:
the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on
the other were they written.
16 And the tables were the work of
God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
Exodus 34:29,30
KJV
29 And it came to pass, when Moses
came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses'
hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the
skin of his face shone while he talked with Him (The Lord) .
30 And when Aaron and all the
children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and
they were afraid to come nigh him.
The glory that
surrounded Moses, soon faded away, but the Apostle Paul reminds us
here that the glory of The Spirit Of The Lord, that comes within all who
accept Him, this glory, will never fade away!
John 14:6 KJV
Jesus saith unto him, I am The Way,
The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
Romans 6:14 KJV
For sin shall not have dominion over
you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
When someone
refuses Christ, and still thinks he can live a life of righteousness,
he is only fooling himself. A veil, is over his eyes so that he
cannot see properly.
15 But even unto
this day, when Moses (The Law)
is read, the veil is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless
when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
Romans 7:18 KJV
For I know that
in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is
present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Romans 3:21-25
NLT
21 But now God
has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the
requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and
the prophets long ago.
22 We are made
right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true
for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone
has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
24 Yet God,
with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this
through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.
25 For God
presented Jesus as The Sacrifice For Sin. People are made right with
God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His
blood.
Homily:
At night we step out into the bright light of the full moon and the
countless stars, and we are in awe of its splendor. But in a few
short hours, the GLORY OF THE SUN, shines forth, and what seemed
awesome is now but forgotten in the GLORY AND MAJESTY OF THE BRILLIANT SUN!
And so too, The Old Covenant, at the time seemed glorious, yet
when The New Covenant arrived, its Light and Glory out shone it
beyond compare!
There is “nothing,” to be placed along side, or with The Gospel Of
Christ! It alone gives Liberty, and Spiritual Life! When one receives
this New Covenant, The Lord Jesus Christ, the veil from their eyes
and heart is removed, and they see clearly the love of Abba The
Father, having been justified by the blood of Christ.
Galatians 4:1-7
NLT
1 Think of it
this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young
children, those children are not much better off than slaves until
they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father
had.
2 They have to
obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.
3 And that’s
the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we
were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
4 But when the
right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the
law.
5 God sent Him
to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could
adopt us as His very own children.
6 And because
we are His children, God has sent The Spirit Of His Son into our
hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
7 Now you are
no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child,
God has made you His heir.
The glorious light shinning on Moses and the Law, faded away the same
day it was first seen.
But The Light Of The World, shall never fade away, and may forever
abide within us.
John 8:12 KJV
Then spake
Jesus again unto them, saying, I am The Light Of The World: he that
followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have The Light Of
Life.
John 9:5 KJV
As long as I am
in the world, I am The Light Of The World.
True as these dear words are, yet there are many still today, with
the veil over their hearts and minds, holding to the law, that only
found fault and ministered condemnation.
Refusing The Light Of The World, that can forever take that
veil away.
John 3:15-21 KJV
15 That
whosoever believeth in Him (God's
Son, The Lord Jesus Christ.) should not perish, but have
eternal life.
16 For God so
loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent
not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through Him might be saved.
18 He that
believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of The
Only Begotten Son Of God.
19 And this is
the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every
one that doeth evil hateth The Light, neither cometh to The Light,
lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that
doeth Truth cometh to The Light, that his deeds may be made manifest,
that they are wrought in God.
Why, oh why
would some refuse to remove the veil, they would out of pride, and
self righteousness.
But ….
Romans 3:10 KJV
As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
The Author of The New Covenant, is The Lord Jesus Christ, the God of
Mercy and Grace.
II Corinthians
3:6 NLT
He (God) has
enabled us to be ministers of His New Covenant. This is a covenant
not of written laws, but of The Spirit. The old written covenant ends
in death; but under the new covenant, The Spirit gives life.
Romans 8:1-17 KJV (Be sure to read the whole chapter.)
1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after The Spirit.
2 For the law
of The Spirit Of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law
of sin and death.
3 For what the
law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh:
4 That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after The Spirit.
5 For they that
are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that
are after
The Spirit the things of The Spirit.
6 For to be
carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is Life and
Peace.
7 Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they
that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are
not in the flesh, but in The Spirit, if so be that The Spirit of God
dwell in you. Now if any man have not The Spirit Of Christ, he is
none of His.
10 And if
Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but The Spirit is
Life because of righteousness.
11 But if The
Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He
that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye
live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through The Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many
as are led by The Spirit Of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have
not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received
The Spirit Of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:
17 And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if
so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified
together.
Galatians 5:18
KJV
But if ye be
led of The Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Ephesians 4:24
KJV
And that ye put
on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness.
Colossians 3:10
KJV
And have put on
the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him
that created him:
I John 3:1-3 KJV
1 Behold, what
manner of love The Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because
it knew Him not.
2 Beloved, now
are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we
shall see Him as He is.
3 And every man
that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.
