Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
2022-07-12
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 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. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
How does the Spirit of the Lord bring liberty? Moses put a veil over his face when he came down from Sinai with the tables of testimony (Exodus 34:29-35). People feared when they saw him, because his face shone brightly.
However, with the new covenant in Christ’s blood, the glory is greater, not veiled, and transforming. We see the glory of the Lord with open face. As we peer into the mirror of this glory, the Spirit of God transforms us into the glory reflected. That’s sanctification.
But when we see Him at His return, that transformation will be forever complete. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). That’s glorification.