Created to do good
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. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 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. 2 Corinthians 3:14-18
From the text, Paul gave a clear image of what it meant to be in Christ. There are people that continued to live their lives based on the old covenant. But as the writer of Hebrews said; “And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance” (Hebrews 1:2). It was through the coming of Christ that the veil that covers people’s eyes has been removed. Christ is the revelation of the glory of God. Whenever anyone turns to the Lord in repentance and faith, his or her condition changes. Paul alluded to Exodus 34:34 which spoke of Moses removing his veil, but he shifted the language toward Christ; “But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him.” Those in Christ see the glory clearly because the veil that dulls their minds is taken away. Christians possess renewed hearts and minds, enabling them to see the revelation of God more fully than those under the old covenant had seen it. Many things still remain hidden (see Romans 11:33–34), but compared to its visibility under the old covenant, the glory of God is now highly visible in Christ. In essence, the challenge to every believer in Christ is to pursue God’s given freedom so we could be the person God wants us to be. We have to pursue God’s purpose for our life. This may take a while but we have to allow God through the Spirit to remove the hurdles that will prevent us to be the person God wants us to be. Those who turned to Christ had the veil removed by declaring that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Believers are no longer slaves to sin, incapable of resisting its influence over their behavior. Instead, they become free to withstand sin and to do good instead of evil. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
